


Pretty Visitors

by Lo Turner-Kane (doujinbag)



Category: Arctic Monkeys, Last Shadow Puppets
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M, Slow Build, prince!Miles, rating due to change, servant!Alex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-03-22 17:34:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 38,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3737566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doujinbag/pseuds/Lo%20Turner-Kane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the incarceration of his old conspiring servant, Prince Miles Kane chooses a new servant for himself, a peasant boy named Alexander. In a society where their budding relationship is a sin and an overbearing queen carefully watches each and every move, will they be able to have their happily ever after?<br/>///<br/>NOT A FINISHED FIC. DISCONTINUED!!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> ahahaahahaha, let's get ready to suffer.

The supposed planned murder of Prince Kane was the only topic that seemed to flow from the tongues of every civilian in the entire kingdom. Rumor had it that the prince’s personal servant James, who had assisted him since his twelfth birthday, had been plotting for years now to murder the soon-to-be king. Of course, as soon as this was discovered, James was thrown into the dungeons and refused the right of a fair trial preceding execution. Now, everyone from the grimy beggars in the slummy villages to the highest-honored knights of the castle knew of the ordeal, and simply no one would shut up about it. When would James be executed? What would happen with the date of the prince’s coronation? Who would be his new servant? Questions only continued to arise through all the villages under the Kane family’s control, but the prince himself had more things to worry about.

_“Miles!”_

It was a fresh spring morning when Miles was rudely awoken by his mother’s loud shrieking, the syllables of his name echoing off the stone walls of the castle corridors before making their way to his sleeping ears. Groaning, the royal son pressed his face into his plush feather pillows, willing away the harsh reality that he needed to rise from bed. 

“Miles, wake up this instant!”

Miles slowly raised his head and scratched at the bare nape of his neck, his tired look completed with three weeks’ worth of dark circles under his eyes and hair setting atop his head that more closely resembled a mangled cat. As soon as his mother appeared in the doorway, Miles fought the temptation to fall asleep yet again. She looked irritated at best, but vexed was probably a better choice of word. “Hurry up and dress yourself,” she snapped. “We’re already late.”

“Yes, Your Grace,” Miles sighed, giving her a small bow before she exited the room.

“Haste, Miles, haste!” she called behind herself.

Miles stretched his arms high above his head with a yawn as his feet met the hard floor. He couldn’t quite remember what it was that he was supposed to do today. He wished he still had a servant by his side, so he could simply ask and be told what–

–Oh, the _servant draft,_ of course!

Miles finished lacing his boots and draped his long robes over his shoulders before running down the passageway, making his way to the grand meeting room. As soon as he stepped foot into the room, all fifteen peasants in his presence kneeled before him, and Miles could see his mother’s icy glare as she examined all of them with her eyes.

“To your feet, lads,” Miles instructed. “I can’t have you bowing each time I walk in, that would be ridiculously redundant.” He laughed lightheartedly, showing them all that it was all right for them to smile as well. He watched as they all stood up one by one until only one boy remained kneeling, and he showed no sign of standing anytime soon. “You there,” Miles called, making the boy raise his head and look at him. “Did you not hear? You may stand.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, I heard you just fine,” the boy answered rather timidly. “But you see, even if you are comfortable with me standing, my mother has always taught me that it is quite disrespectful for me not to kneel before a royal family member under any circumstances.”

“I see,” Miles said, tapping his foot against the ground. “Very well, I respect your reasonable actions. However, I will now say that you _must_ stand so I may see your full appearance.”

The boy scrambled to his feet and Miles began examining them all with his eyes, slowly walking past each of them. “Not bad,” he would mumble quietly under his breath here and there. However, once he reached the boy who did not stand until the last minute, something about him caught his attention, although he could not pinpoint exactly what it was. “Not bad at all,” he hummed.

Miles returned to standing next to his mother and asked her, “They’ve all been checked for diseases, anger levels, potential desires for vengeance, yes?”

“Indeed, all of them. The choice is all yours now,” the queen replied, folding her hands in front of herself.

Turning back to face the line of potential servants again, Miles announced, “State your name, village, and age as I point to you.” He started from the end of the line opposite from where his secret favorite stood, not really paying attention to anyone’s introductions until he reached the one he actually cared about.

“Alexander David Turner of the Sheffield region, Your Greatness,” the boy recited, the words thick on his accented tongue. “Seventeen years of age."

“Seventeen?”

“Aye, Your Majesty.” 

“Hm.” Miles continued to scan his eyes over the boy, humming as he thought. However, before he could speak, his mother spoke for him. “Raise your left hand in the air if you are literate: as in, you are able to read and write with little trouble. Come on, raise it high.”

Miles watched as everyone’s hand raised above their heads, but then he noticed a slight hiccup in the pattern. Alexander’s hand seemed to hesitate, almost as if he waited until the last minute to raise it. _“You,”_ the queen said, pointing her scepter in Alexander’s direction. “Are you truly literate?”

Alexander froze and opened his mouth to answer, but Miles stepped forth and glared at the woman. _“Mother,_ if the boy claims he’s literate, we have no reason to disbelieve him.”

“You know very well that that is not a title you may use to refer to me–”

“Now isn’t the time for a public scolding, Your Highness,” Miles said. “Scold me later, but please, let’s finish this business here.” He directed his attention back to the line of young men and asked, “Are any of you capable of carrying heavy weights and horseback riding?” He paused to laugh and clarified, “Not at the same time, of course.”

Only seven of the fifteen peasants raised their hands, and Miles was pleased to find that Alexander was one of them. “Take the others home,” Miles ordered the guards in the room. “Let their families know they’re exempt from today’s work, however.”

The process lasted for a little while longer, Miles always darting away from his mother’s particularly venomous interruptions, before at last, only two boys remained standing before him: Alexander and another young fellow from the same village named Matthew. Alexander kept his hands folded behind his back in a respectful manner, clearly answering each question he was asked, while Matthew seemed to convey the fact that he wasn’t really willing to be there. Finally, Miles gave a gentle smile and directed the guards to escort Matthew back home.

“Well, Alexander Turner of Sheffield,” Miles said, “it seems you’re my new servant.”

“I take it as a great honor bestowed upon me, Your Majesty,” Alexander responded with a dutiful bow. “I thank you greatly.”

“No need for gratitude,” Miles said, waving his hand in a dismissing gesture. “A guard will show you to your chambers. I have duties to tend to for now, but in a few minutes’ time, I will come to see you and show you the castle.” 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Miles watched as Alexander was escorted away, leaning to one side as his eyes followed the boy.

“Stand straight, Miles; that sort of posture is not fit for a king,” the queen ordered, approaching her son again. “Why is it that you chose him specifically?”

“He meets my personal qualifications, and I don’t see any reason that I shouldn’t have picked him. Do you?” 

“…No. Apologies, my son.” She held her words on her pursed lips for a moment before adding, “I’m still rather cross with you for your misuse of addressing me, however.”

“I apologize for that, My Lady. Do you plan on boxing my ears, then?”

“I’m not willing to give a man the punishment for a child,” she sighed. “Just know I am cross with you and dwell on that. Now, go, familiarize your servant with the castle walls.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll see you at supper.” With that, Miles took off down the corridor, his velvet robe swaying behind him as he walked.

“Prince Kane!” a maid called about halfway down the hall. “Prince Kane, the head chef–”

“Speak with the queen about such things, I’m busy right now,” Miles said.

“–but he wants to know–”

“I said, speak with the queen. I don’t have time for silly questions regarding food.”

“Yes, Prince Kane. I’ll be gone now, then.” 

Miles shrugged off the maid as he deepened himself into the castle, determined to see Alexander quickly. He nearly ran into a guard leaving the servant’s bedchamber, although he stumbled back against the cold stone wall before the guard could run him over. “My apologies, Your Majesty,” the guard said with a small nod. Miles acknowledged his words but said nothing more as he sauntered into the small room, inhaling the stale air of the room slowly.

“Your Majesty!” Alexander exclaimed, clamoring around and falling to his knees, his head bowed down low. 

“I admire your enthusiasm, Alexander, but it’s hardly necessary to bow each time I enter your presence. The queen, however, that’s another story… but as far as I go, you needn’t worry about such trivial habits.”

“Yes, Your Royalty.” 

“And oh, please. Titles… titles take far too long to leave the mouth. ‘Sir’ may work just fine.” 

“Yes, Your– er, yes, sir.” Alexander brushed at some dirt on his knees and glued his eyes to the floor beneath his feet. “Thank you, sir, for allowing me this job. I can’t possibly fathom the words to express how that makes me feel… I can tell already that you’re quite the compassionate leader.”

“Leader-to-be,” Miles corrected with a grin. “But thank you for the kind words. Now, come, I must show you the entirety of the castle.”

Alexander followed Miles quite obediently, never speaking unless he was addressed first. It came as a bit of a surprise to Miles that Alexander was so compliant with every order; he had always heard that peasants were wild and reckless for the most part. With his previous servant, it had taken six weeks or possibly longer just to train him how to follow a simple order.

Then again, his last servant was also a murderer, so Miles tried not to think about that.

Alexander seemed to be taking mental notes during the entire castle tour, his eyes widening each time something sparked his interest. However, after seeing most of the castle, Miles stopped in front of a pair of large oakwood doors and looked at Alexander carefully. “No one is ever to go through these doors. Understood?”

Alexander swallowed and nodded. “Yes, sir. Although, may I ask why?”

Miles simply looked to the side and placed the palm of his hand against the wood of the door. “It leads to my father’s chambers. I use his private library at times, but aside from my mother and I, nobody is permitted access.”

“I see. I’m sorry, sir. King Kane was a great leader.”

“Certainly.” Miles was quiet for a long moment before saying at last, “Let’s go see the castle gardens, shall we?”

-

Long after dining with the queen and dressing himself to return to bed, Miles bid Alexander goodnight, although he hesitated to separate from him just yet. “Sleep well, Alexander,” he said in a gentle tone. “Tomorrow is to be an easy day; I’ll give you more time to settle into the castle while I work.”

“Yes, sir. Goodnight.” Alexander offered the prince one more smile before disappearing down the dark hallway, a candle in his hands serving as the only source of light to help him find his way.

As Miles lay in bed, he struggled to fall asleep easily as various thoughts continued to fill his head. Despite how busy his mind was, he sucked it all down like a bitter wine and closed his eyes, his day now coming to a complete close. He soon found that the main focus of his dreams was none other than his newly acquainted servant, but by the time he woke again, he could remember not even a sliver of what he’d dreamt.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles and his servant talk about God and grapes, essentially.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woah okaY HI SO!!  
> important note, this chapter talks a lot about religion and whatnot but I promise this isn't a religion-focused story whatsoever, it's just that royal leaders in this time period were very focused on religion and so I'm trying to make that realistic somewhat. This is the only chapter that will really talk about it so much. yeah. woo.
> 
> also lots of dialogue and this is a shorter chapter than i'd like it to be but hhhnnngg yeah ok

Alexander’s first week as the prince’s servant went over smoothly, the only bump in the road being a small mishap with one of the guards in the dining hall that Miles was quick to handle. It wasn’t really a surprise, per se, for Alexander to see how kind Miles was with most everyone in the castle (save for the head chef, who seemed to favor his mutiny with Miles above all else), but it did make him feel more comfortable than he originally thought he’d be. The young king-to-be seemed almost completely opposed to any form of execution– even with his own ex-servant– as he claimed all people were deserving of life. He spoke gently with everyone he encountered and only expressed irritation with people if he was busy or he deemed it necessary. In all honesty, the prince was nothing like his mother.

Sunday morning soon came around and Alexander watched as Miles rushed around his large room, trying to quickly get ready to go to church. “Alexander, where are my boots?” he questioned, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Right by where you stand, sir.”

“Oh. Thank you. And my church robes?”

“In the wardrobe, sir.”

“Fetch them for me, would you?”

“Yes, sir.” Alexander moved swiftly to retrieve the long dark blue robe from the large closet and then walked over to Miles with it, being careful not to step on the fabric at all. Miles stood in front of a large mirror and watched in the reflection as Alexander wrapped the robe around his shoulders, cocking his head to the side as the boy began to button it for him.

“I hope you know I’m capable of operating easy buttons,” Miles said with a laugh.

“Hm, but what fun is there in that?” Alexander teased.

“What do you mean by such words?” Miles questioned.

“Nothing at all, sir. Many peasants talk lots but speak nothing. I regret to tell you that I am one of these peasants.” Alexander finished buttoning the robe and gave a brief smile.

“I doubt that, I’m sure you may produce many wonderful thoughts from your mouth. Besides, you are no longer a peasant anyways. You are my servant, a rather high honor to have, I hope you know.”

“Oh, indeed, sir, I do. Do not take my words in a wrong manner; I’m simply still getting used to bearing the title for such an honor.”

“Indeed.” Miles smoothed his hands down the front of his robe and asked, “You are coming to the cathedral with me, yes?”

“Yes, sir. I have no place else to be.”

“Good, good. I don’t know what I’d do in there with no one else but my mother. Tell me, Alexander, is there a church of any kind in Sheffield?” Miles sat on the edge of his bed to put on his boots, occasionally glancing up at the servant.

“Aye, good sir, but my mother never allowed us there; apparently the priest is a money-begging crook and speaks nothing of God. My mother– a good Christian woman, mind you– doesn’t exactly approve of such behavior.”

“Lord, what good is a priest if he cannot follow God’s word?”

“My thoughts exactly, sir.”

“Then again…” Miles stood up and walked back over to where Alexander stood, looking down at him with an odd kind of shimmer lingering in his eyes. “…what good does church do for a prince if he does not so much as believe in God?”

Alexander hesitated for a moment in order to organize his thoughts correctly. “Well, sir,” he began, “frankly, I do not believe such things as ‘Godliness’ or ‘holiness’ measure the amount of kindness in a person’s heart nor how great of a leader they may make. Your old servant, say, he claimed to be a man of God, did he not?”

“Indeed, he did.”

“And still, sir, he had plans to carry out such a vile thing as your assassination.” Alexander fiddled with a frayed string at the hem of his shirt and shook his head. “I assume you go to church to please Her Majesty the queen, then?”

“Exactly so.” Miles let out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding and rose to his feet again. “Come now, Alexander, we have a queen to please.”

-

After an excruciatingly long Mass that nearly caused Miles to break the bottle of communion wine over his own head, he and Alexander walked briskly to the dining hall for a small morning meal.

“I hope that wasn’t too painful for you,” Miles muttered under his breath so no one but Alexander could hear.

“Certainly not as much as it was for you,” the boy replied with a short laugh.

They were both quiet as they received their respective meals– Miles with a large plate full of buttered bread, eggs, sausages, and dark concord grapes, Alexander with the standard servant’s breakfast of bread and half an orange– but Miles was quick to speak as he sat with the boy in the small parlor room to eat.

“I’m sorry the servant meals aren’t very great,” he said. “I’ve been trying to get them to change that, but the chef and I aren’t on the greatest terms, exactly…”

“They’re actually wonderful,” Alexander said, peeling his half-orange. “I didn’t have much of anything back at home, really. It’s a nice thing to be able to eat multiple meals every day.”

“But you’re from the Sheffield village, aren’t there a lot of crops to harvest?”

“There are, yes, but we don’t get to keep very much. We have to give three-fourths of it to the kingdom and then half of that last fourth gets sold to other villages for farm owners’ profit. That leaves only one-eighth of the original harvest for the entire village, and that doesn’t allow each family very much food.” Alexander placed a piece of the orange on his tongue and savored it before saying, “My apologies for rambling, sir.”

Miles merely stared at Alexander with raised eyebrows, eating slower now. “You’re rather good with mathematics, I presume?”

“Ah, hardly. I just pay attention to things.” Alexander shrugged and finished off his orange, then began to pull apart pieces of the bread.

“Do you favor grapes?” Miles asked randomly.

“Pardon me, sir?”

“Grapes. Do you like them?”

“I do, yes. Why are you asking, sir?”

Miles transferred the grapes from his plate onto Alexander’s, shuffling his feet a bit. “I can’t stand them myself,” he said.

“Ah… thank you, sir, but that’s not necessary.”

“Nonsense. If you don’t eat them, the rats will.” Miles grinned and continued eating, leaving Alexander no choice but to gladly eat the fruit he’d been given.

-

That evening, Miles sat up in his bed reading a worn leather copy of the Holy Bible, squinting here and there if he lost his place on the page. He was interrupted by a quiet knock on the door, which he raised his head to. His hazel eyes now landed on his lanky servant, who looked rather awkward as he stood there alone. “Sorry for interrupting, sir. The queen asked me to come check on you, make sure you’re still breathing,” Alexander stated.

“I’m alive and well, yes. Come in, I don’t mind.”

Alexander walked further into the room and stopped at the foot of Miles’s bed, the size of which being truly fit for a king. “What are you reading, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Bible,” Miles replied quietly.

“I thought you said you don’t believe in God?”

“I don’t. I just like reading whatever I can.” Miles sighed and added, “This was also my father’s. I like reading the annotations he left on the pages.” He pointed to a handwritten sentence on the top of the page and smiled. “Like this one.”

Alexander leaned over and stared at the page for a moment before simply nodding and half-smiling. “Were you close with him? The king?” he asked.

“No, actually, I wasn’t,” Miles replied. “He was a quiet man, I suppose. He liked wine just a little too much. There were rumors he’d had an affair with one of the maids here some years ago, but I don’t want to believe that. He and my mother were a great pair up until the day he died.”

“And you’re not very close with the queen either, I see,” Alexander said quietly.

“Regretfully so.” Miles closed his Bible and set it aside, making eye contact with the servant in front of him. “Being royalty isn’t as appealing as people imagine it to be, Alexander. I can’t imagine why people would ever covet having royal blood.”

“I… suppose I can see why that is,” Alexander said. He watched something flicker in the prince’s eyes and said, “I reckon I should be returning to my bedchamber now. Have a good night’s sleep, Prince Miles.”

“You as well,” Miles responded. “Oh, and– one more thing.” Alexander turned back around in the doorway and hesitated in the pregnant silence between them. “…My mother didn’t actually send you to check on me, did she?”

The boy simply smiled and ducked his head a bit. “You’re quite right, sir. Good night.”


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two decide to take a late-evening stroll in the castle's rose garden.

Late Tuesday evening, after supper but before the night completely pulled to a close, Miles found himself wandering down the cold corridor to the servants’ chambers. Alexa, a young maiden who had been personal servant to the queen for three years now, waved at Miles from her chamber, which he returned with a smile. “How are you today, Alexa?” he asked, leaning against the doorway.

“I’m wonderful, thank you for asking, Your Majesty,” she replied. “Would you happen to be looking for Alexander?”

“I certainly am,” Miles nodded. “He’s in his room, yes?”

“He is, but I have to warn you: he’s been a bit occupied ever since running down here after supper.”

“Has he? How so?”

“Praying.”

Miles looked over to the bright girl and thanked her quickly before running off to Alexander’s room, his feet hitting the hard floor with a loud clack each time he took a step. As he walked into the chamber, he saw Alexander kneeling at his bed, hands clasped together as his mouth moved slowly. “Alexander?” Miles said, making the boy jump. “I’m sorry to interrupt, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“It’s all right, sir. I was almost done anyways.” Alexander smiled and sat up on his bed, looking at Miles with his hands in his lap. As Miles shifted to the side, he could see a few tears on Alexander’s face, contrasting with the smile plastered to his face.

“Alexander,” Miles said, stepping closer, “have you been crying?”

“Crying? No- no, sir, I have not.” Alexander quickly wiped his face with his hands and shook his head. “Only praying, nothing more.”

“Tell me, Alexander,” Miles said with caution, “what is it you pray for?” He sat next to the boy with his hands open, palms facing the low ceiling.

“I pray for… widespread happiness to all, I suppose. Wellbeing in my old village, good health for my mother.” The boy rubbed his eyes and looked at the prince. “I pray to anyone who may be listening, really. Perhaps that’s considered desperation, but I don’t care all too much. I just… I’m not exactly sure what I’m trying to say.”

Miles placed a gentle hand on Alexander’s shoulder, causing the boy to jump nervously at first before relaxing at the touch. “I hope if someone is listening, your prayers are granted.”

Alexander’s eyes widened at the kind words and broke into a real, genuine smile. “Thank you, sir. Thank you so much.”

“Of course. Now, is there anything I may be capable of doing that could possibly help you in any way?” Miles asked as his eyes focused on the boy.

“I don’t believe so, sir. But thank you for considering the possibility,” Alexander said. “It is getting rather late into night, I can see through my window. Say, do you need my services to prepare for bed?”

“Not as of now. However, I would like to ask you to escort me as I walk to the rose garden. I sometimes walk alone, yes, but ever since the plotting of my own death, I hardly trust anyone enough to allow myself to go alone.” Miles stood up and looked down at his servant as he spoke again. “I should allow you to finish your prayer first, though.”

“Not necessary,” Alexander replied, standing as well. “I’m sure whatever deity that exists knows already of the words I had in mind. I’ll be more than willing to come along with you now.”

The two walked alongside each other quietly, the only sound between them being the clacking of Miles’s boots on the ground. He noticed how Alexander did his best to keep proper posture, standing perhaps even better than Miles himself. He decided to say nothing of it, however, and left the thought alone with an appreciative smile.

The large glass doors leading to the rose garden felt rather cold as Miles pressed his hands against them and made his way outside, being sure Alexander was in the garden as well before letting the doors close. “Are you cold out here, Alexander?” he asked, glancing over at him.

“No, not at all, sir.”

“Good, good. If the weather changes to be any colder tonight, you should return back inside to the warmth.” Miles motioned for Alexander to follow him and he began strolling around the rows of rose bushes. The flowers were in full bloom, soft petals spread wide like a chorus of people holding their mouths open to sing hymns.

“I’m quite used to the cold, actually,” Alexander said. “This weather, it’s rather warm to me. This past winter was brutal.” He sighed and rubbed his arm, pacing his feet slowly across the grass as he walked. “I’m sorry, sir. I hope you don’t despise me too much for speaking out of turn so often.”

“You have just as much right to speak as I do. Don’t apologize for anything you say; I prefer it to silence most of the time,” Miles said. “Speaking of which, I’d actually like you to talk to me more, starting now. Tell me about… your life in Sheffield, or something of the sort.”

“All of it, sir?” Alexander asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Anything that you wish to share.”

Alexander smiled and clasped his hands together as he began to speak. “Well, for one, I know my mother would adore this garden. You see, she loves roses, but we could never grow any. The soil around our hovel isn’t very fertile. Sometimes, I’d sneak into Mister Lester’s farm and snatch a few roses. The wilting ones, anyways. I don’t want to take anything anyone is to miss. I’d give the roses to my mother and watch her face light up with all the brightness of a thousand suns.” He became quiet after that, brushing his fingertips delicately over the edges of a few red rose petals. “Never in my life as a child did I think that I might have the slightest possibility of ever stepping foot in this castle.”

“Is it everything you imagined it to be?” Miles asked, turning his head slightly to get a look at Alexander’s face. The pale moon illuminated the boy’s skin, but he was completely oblivious to such a thing; in fact, he was not even aware that the prince’s eyes were cast upon him.

“Everything and more,” the boy responded at last, the corners of his lips curling upwards slightly.

They soon found themselves settled on opposite ends of a small iron bench in the center of the garden. Miles spread his arms out over the back of the bench, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the iron. Alexander kept to himself mostly; nearly folding himself in half to make sure he wouldn’t disturb the prince’s serenity. A single gray moth landed in the space between them, seeming to be struggling with its wings. Just as the servant boy extended a finger to lift up the insect, Miles reached for it as well, causing both their knuckles to bump as the moth fluttered away.

“Sorry, sir,” Alexander apologized quickly.

“For what?”

“Well, I mean– I don’t think you, as royalty, would exactly want physical contact with a grimy boy from the peasant fields, such as myself, unless it’s necessary.”

“May I tell you something, Alexander?”

“I- of course, sir.”

“That is the single most preposterous thing I have ever heard in my life.” Miles huffed and stared at his servant, his arms crossed over his chest.

Alexander coughed and nodded, rubbing his hands over his knees slowly. “Of course. Sor–”

“And don’t apologize, either.”

Alexander looked at Miles– not a simple glance, but a real, immersing look– and he couldn’t help himself but giggle, slapping a hand over his mouth as if the muffle the sound although it did no such thing. “Why do you laugh at my words?” Miles asked, squinting.

“I laugh not at your words, sir, but at your kindness. I laugh because I never expected to feel so emotionally _satisfied_ on castle grounds. I laugh not at you, Prince Miles, but out of my own joy.”

Miles focused on Alexander’s words for a moment before he, too, began to laugh, creases forming at the outer corners of his eyes. He held onto the edge of the iron bench and continued chuckling quietly even when his servant’s laughter died down. They seemed to watch each other’s faces for a while after that, neither of them talking, perhaps not even breathing. The garden was as silent as the dead as the two sat in the growing darkness together, unspoken words handing between them on a thread.

“God, my coronation is in _two months,”_ Miles whispered at last. “Two tiny months. As of June twenty-first, I’ll be the _king.”_ He rubbed his hands together and shook his head. “I don’t feel ready.”

“What happens to the queen? When you become king, where will she go?”

“She’s willingly stepping down from power. Then, I believe she is to go live with the Duke and Duchess of the Sharrock family, cousins of ours or something of the sort,” Miles explained. “I’ve been preparing my entire life for this. Since the very moment I left my mother’s womb, I’ve been fussed over, taught how to act ‘proper’, tutored by instructors who cared nothing of my actual spirit… My opinions have been shoved away, I say what everyone wishes for me to say, I have to choose my words carefully especially when around my own mother. By God, Alexander, I watched my own father die when I turned sixteen and I realized then that I truly will be held responsible for this entire kingdom someday.” Miles sighed and put his hands over his face, and Alexander didn’t know how to exactly respond to seeing the prince appear so _vulnerable._ “This is it, Alexander. This has been my life for the past seventeen years and I have no control over it. It was never a wish of mine to be born into royal blood. Never,” Miles cried out. He lifted his head up and looked at Alexander, looking almost helpless. “Such a wish should be regretted deeply, should it not?”

“I do not think, personally, that any of those events you’ve endured are fair to you at all, sir. However, I am still adamant in my belief that you will make perhaps the greatest leader this kingdom has ever seen.” Alexander slid a few inches closer to Miles on the bench and rubbed at a sore cuticle on his thumb as he continued. “You are kind-hearted, fair-tempered, sensible, and passionate, among other things. That’s quite a contrast from the qualities of past leaders, but I think it will definitely be a beneficial contrast.”

“Thank you, Alexander,” Miles said, taking a deep breath. “It’s good to know at least one person is there for me. Then again, I suppose that’s technically your job description, but it’s nice to pretend.” He offered a weak smile and looked again at the roses, now beginning to sway lightly in the April breeze.

“No need for pretending, sir,” Alexander said quietly. “I don’t care simply because I’m ‘supposed to’.”

Miles closed the space between them on the bench and gave a grateful hum at that. “You’re so much more than just a servant, Alexander.”

“Am I?”

“Indeed, you are. In fact…” Miles rested his head on the boy’s shoulder and closed his eyes peacefully. “…you’re already my closest friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you feel the gay building bc i sure can  
>  _i feel it in my soul_


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexander calls himself a liar and Miles finds out a secret about him.  
> Everyone's favorite little servant boy also gets a haircut. Sweet.

The next few days went by as a sort of blur for Miles, as if he was there in the physical sense but his mind was drifting off elsewhere. Had it not been for Alexander helping snap his attention back to reality again and again, Miles would have severely missed out on important information regarding his coronation. He wasn’t sure why he was so mentally absent, but whenever he seemed immersed in thoughts of nothingness, that would soon turn into thoughts of a particular pair of brown eyes.

He decided to pay it no heed and eventually forced himself to remain attentive.

Friday afternoon contained nothing more than the boring task of rehearsing his own coronation speech, despite the fact he knew it wasn’t deemed completely necessary. He simply felt the need to perfect it, to ensure he could please ~~the queen~~ his subjects.

“Alexander,” he sighed at last, “I need you to do me a favor.”

“Anything, sir.” The servant wrung his hands together and stepped closer to the prince’s bed.

“In the drawer of my escritoire, you should find parchment, a quill, and an inkwell. Get those out.”

Alexander followed directions quickly and set everything on top of the birchwood escritoire, then looked to Miles for further instruction. “And now, sir?”

“I need you to transcribe my speech as I speak it to you.” Miles stood up and began pacing his floor in small circle as Alexander took a seat at the large desk. With a trembling hand, he lifted the quill and dipped the tip of it into the dark ink. His posture held false confidence and while his smile showed a sense of stability, his eyes were quick to fill with worry. Just as Miles opened his mouth to begin speaking, Alexander dropped the quill and shook his head. “Your Majesty, I am a liar,” he blurted out.

Miles brought his pacing to a halt and cast the boy a wary glance. “Pardon?”

“I’m a liar and it is shameful, _shameful_ of me, sir. I am so sorry.”

“Alexander, now wait just a minute– how are you a liar?” Miles approached the boy and looked down at him in confusion. “Certainly it shan’t be too terribly drastic.”

“There is a reason I was not so hasty to raise my hand when Her Good Grace the queen asked her question about literacy,” Alexander said slowly. “Oh, banish me, send me home to the peasant fields again, but please, don’t– don’t kill me, My Liege. That’s all I ask of you.”

Miles gently rubbed Alexander’s shoulder and, in perhaps the most reassuring voice the servant had ever heard, said, “You know I could never kill you, Alexander. I am not cross with you whatsoever. Please, don’t fret over it for a single moment. I am not upset at all.”

Alexander rubbed his left eye and tilted his head up to face Miles properly. “You’re not, sir?”

“I’m not. Truly.”

The boy smiled and rose to his feet, beginning to awkwardly thank Miles repeatedly. The prince caught him off guard as he pulled him into a solid embrace, the brunet’s mouth clamping shut almost immediately. He was hesitant at first, but gave in soon, quietly letting Miles hold him close. He rested his face against the slightly taller boy’s neck and allowed himself to enjoy their close embrace before suddenly pulling away, staring at the prince.

“Is such a gesture very professional, sir?” he asked, clasping his perspiring hands together.

“Hardly so,” Miles responded, “but I think we both know very well by now that I’m not one to follow tradition.”

Alexander forced back a blush and kept his respectful stance, nodding his head slowly. “Thank you again for your never-failing kindness, sir. I am still very sorry for being unable to help you with your speech.”

“No need to worry at all,” Miles replied. “Besides, I don’t see anything preventing me from teaching you proper literacy.”

Alexander raised his head at that and gasped quietly. “You would, sir? You truly would? I- I can’t bring myself to burden you in such a way, but if you’re truly willing to teach me, then…” He broke into a smile and stared Miles confidently in the eye. “I’m willing to learn.”

-

Long after the sky turned black and everyone else in the castle was lost in slumber, Miles and Alex haunted the corridors together, ghosting around corners and disappearing into a new set of shadows with only their trust in each other acting as their guiding mechanism. At last, they reached their destination, although Alexander couldn’t really tell where they were for sure. “Sir?” he called out in a hushed tone.

“Right next to you, Alexander. No worries,” the prince responded. There was a sound of something clinking against metal, and then, Alexander watched as the door they apparently stood in front of opened, revealing a long hall he had never seen before. Torches lined the stone walls, providing an efficient source of light as Miles placed a key in his pocket that he had apparently used to open the door. “Come along now,” he said to his servant.

Miles was sure to close the door safely behind them before starting to lead Alexander down the passageway. “My father’s library is the door at the very end of the corridor,” Miles explained.

“But- but sir, I thought I didn’t have permission to come here under any circumstances?” Alexander said cautiously.

“And now you do,” Miles said with a shrug. “Of course, you may only come here when I am with you, but… I trust you, Alexander. I do, I trust you wholly.”

Alexander smiled to himself and practically glided into the library after Miles. As his eyes adjusted to the scene around him, he gasped and raised a hand to his mouth to ensure his jaw wouldn’t drop too far. “This is one single library?” he asked in shock.

“This isn’t even the whole of it,” Miles laughed quietly. “Hold on just a moment…” He walked over to another set of doors and opened them, revealing another part of the library almost as large as the main room. There were two more sets of doors that, when opened, each led to a separate room: one could be used as a private reading room, with multiple chairs set up as well as books piled upon side tables next to unlit Roman candles; the other room contained two chairs in front of a large fireplace, above which hung a painting of none other than Miles’s father.

When Miles walked back to Alexander, who was carefully gripping onto a bookshelf in order to keep himself standing upright, he offered the boy a smile and extended his hand to him. “Are you all right?” he asked.

“This is– this is _beautiful,”_ the brown-eyed boy gasped. “I’ve never even dreamt of a room so extraordinary.”

“It is a rather great library,” Miles agreed proudly. “I’m glad to know it’s to your liking.”

The servant had tears in his eyes by now, nearly overwhelmed by the entire room he stood in. “I don’t know what to say,” he admitted after a long silence. “I don’t know what to say, sir, this is all so lovely… Thank you so much, I can never thank you enough.”

“You don’t need to thank me for a thing,” Miles said, furrowing his eyebrows. “I haven’t even begun to teach you anything yet.” He trailed his fingers over the spines of multiple books on a certain shelf before stopping and pulling off one with a black cover. “Sit with me in front of the hearth, we can prepare a fire and then we’ll read.”

The smile that stuck itself to Alexander’s face was absolutely unmistakable.

-

Saturday morning, Alexander woke up in a room that was not his own. He blinked in confusion a couple times before seeing Miles sitting at the end of the bed, and it was then that he realized he was sprawled out underneath the bedsheets of _the prince’s_ bed.

“Hhh-huhhh?” he groaned, his head feeling foggy as he tried to wipe the grogginess from his eyes. “Your Majesty?”

“I’m right here, Alexander,” Miles said with a smile, turning his head to the side in order to look at the boy in his bed. “Sleep well?”

“Yes, thank you… How did I get here?”

“What do you mean?”

“The last thing I remember before falling asleep is you reading another sentence of your book to me… but that was in front of the hearth in the library… how am I here now?” Alexander sat up and stretched his arms out in front of himself.

“You fell asleep after that, yes. I couldn’t just leave you there, though, so I carried you back here.” Miles smiled and patted Alexander’s foot under the blanket. “I am stronger than I may look, you know.”

“Why not simply take me back to my own chamber?” the servant questioned, the ‘R’ in ‘chamber’ being broken by a large yawn.

Miles chuckled and turned away, standing up and walking across the room to inspect his own appearance in his mirror. “You had your arms wrapped so tightly around me that I couldn’t bear to disturb you.” He smirked but soon let his mouth fall back down to form an expression that seemed to lack much emotion at all. “Alexander, do I look all right?”

“Of course, sir,” Alexander answered, watching Miles’s reflection carefully. He moved out of the prince’s bed and made his way over to the mirror, standing next to the other boy. “Why do you think you would not?”

“Only making sure,” he answered. “Thank you.” He messed with his own hair for a bit before his eyes traveled back over to his servant. The poor boy was toying with his long brown locks, his eyes almost giving off a message that said he didn’t want his hair to be at the length it was. While it didn’t look bad in the slightest, it did fall to his shoulders, and such a length could make even the simplest of tasks more difficult than they needed to be. Miles recalled how the night before, Alexander was constantly pushing his hair out of his eyes, nearly unable to focus on the letters in front of him due to having to pause and brush his hair back every other second.

“Alexander?” Miles said at last. “Are you struggling with your hair?” He laughed a bit but reached over and threaded his fingers between the strands anyways.

“Ah… slightly. But it’s all right, it’s been quite long for a while now.” The servant laughed as well and closed his eyes as Miles seemed to do as he pleased with the hair in his hand.

“Would you prefer it shorter? Would that make it easier to deal with, perhaps?” the prince asked curiously. Alexander answered with a short nod of his head and Miles held up a single finger. “Wait one second,” he said before disappearing from his bedchamber.

After a few long minutes, the prince returned again, a pair of hair-cutting shears in his hand. “Would you like me to… cut your hair for you?” Miles questioned.

“Oh, that’s not necessary, sir, I–!”

“I was asking out of courtesy,” Miles said. “I’m doing it either way.” He smiled and stood behind the boy, feathering his fingers through the messy hair. “I’ve never done this before, I must warn you,” he said slowly, “but I think it should turn out quite well."

Alexander kept his eyes closed as he listened to the sound of shears snipping around his head, being sure to stand quite still as Miles cut. Locks upon locks of brown hair fell at his feet, landing on the floor in portions that curled at the ends. Quite a few minutes passed before it seemed Miles was pleased with his work and he set the shears down on a table a few feet away from where they stood in front of the mirror. “You can open your eyes,” he said with a laugh hinting in his voice.

The boy’s eyes flicked open and he cupped his hands over his mouth, staring at himself wildly. “That’s _me?”_ he said quietly. “I… I absolutely adore it.” He ran his fingers through his hair and no matter how hard he tried, he could not wipe away his grin. “Thank you so much, sir.”

“Of course,” the prince replied. “Anything I can do to help make you happy here, I’ll willingly do in a heartbeat.”

“As I can see,” Alexander laughed a bit. “Really, though, I don’t know how I can ever repay you…”

“Don’t think about such a silly thing,” Miles said. “Your joy is payment enough.”

Alexander shied away from looking at the prince much longer and kept his smile to himself. “If you say so, sir. With that, I have to go fetch a broom to clean up this hair.”

“As you please.” Miles watched as the boy left, and once he was alone again, he swore to the God he didn’t believe in that he could feel something change in the rate at which his heart beat.

He didn’t mind it one bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> his hair just DE-EVOLVED  
> originally he had his [humbug hair](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BsyyPj4eZ2A/S5gh7j0ZxzI/AAAAAAAAATY/U1_FOmBvcNA/s1600/clash_mag6.png) what an awkward baby  
> now his hair is like his... [WPSIATWIN hair](http://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/sites/default/files/5/Alex%20turner%20short%20hair.jpg) from 2006 how pRECIOUS  
> babies
> 
> i'll track the tag "fic: pretty visitors" on tumblr if you guys want to idk do anything with that ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
>  ~~i also track "doujinbag" already for all intents and purposes just an fyi ok i love u all~~


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Music things. And more reading things. Also cute things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies if this chapter sucks, these past few days have been rough for me personally.

Not even an hour after Miles cut Alexander’s hair, they both sat in the dining hall, working on eating their breakfast in peaceful silence. While Alexander continued running his fingers through his fluffy hair, Miles snuck a few glimpses of his little smile and had to force himself to not burst into a grin. “Quite fond of it, are you?” he asked, rolling his grapes around on his plate with his silverware.

“Hm?”Alexander perked his head up to shake himself out of his daze and rested his hand on the table. “Oh, yes, sir.” His mouth twitched a bit and he turned his head before his smirk had a chance to become evident. In response to that, Miles placed his grapes on the edge of Alexander’s plate and tapped his fingers on the table. Alexander was quick to eat the fruit, although he savored the flavor for a few long seconds with each one. This had become their sort of morning dining routine.

At last, once they both finished eating, Miles stood up and traced his fingernails around the surface of the table, carefully dodging the splinters in the wood. “You have the rest of the morning off. I’m going to work for a bit,” he announced. “If you need me for any reason at all, you should find me in my father’s library. Don’t hesitate, all right?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.” Alexander bowed his head and began gathering up their dirty dishes, being sure to give Miles one more grateful glance as he left the dining hall. The servant’s brown head of hair bobbed around the room as he made sure everything was impeccably clean, as he knew by now that the queen preferred everything in flawless condition. He soon found that time alone without Miles’s presence came to him as quite a bore; he honestly had nothing to do besides dust the furniture in the prince’s bedchamber for the fifth time that week.

He exchanged small smiles with Alexa as he passed her by in the hall, but once he started walking alone again, he could only notice how bothersome it felt to linger among the cool stone walls in solitary. He wanted to see Miles, yes, but what excuse could he possibly come up with–

His thoughts were interrupted by a shrill call of his name, causing him to stop in his tracks. _“Alexander!”_ he heard the queen shout again. The boy turned to see her quickly coming down the hall to approach him, her silk dress swaying around her torso. In her arms, she carried a stack of books, most of which Alexander recognized from the king’s library.

“Yes, Your Highness?” he answered, kneeling before the woman.

“Give these to Miles, wherever he may be,” she ordered. “And good heavens, where did all your hair go?” She tossed the books at Alexander carelessly, but he was quick to pick them up.

“Prince Miles cut my hair for me, Your Grace,” he replied. “I’ll get these books to him right away.”

“I like it. You don’t look like a _heathen_ any longer.” With that, the queen turned and walked away, abandoning Alexander mid-hallway. He shrugged off her stinging comment and began walking towards the king’s chambers, thankful that he now had a valid excuse to speak with Miles. He crept past the main door to the chambers quietly, but as he traveled down to the library, he heard what sounded like a church organ playing from a different room. Miles wasn’t anywhere to be found in the library.

He turned and began pacing slowly over to another door, one that was identical to all the other ones in the passageway except for a considerably large crack down the middle of it. Although he felt like he shouldn’t, he pushed the door open only to see Miles sitting at an organ at the far end of the room. The rest of the room was filled with instruments of all kinds, such as a harp, several sorts of drums, a few harpsichords, and a silver-plated flute sitting carefully on a small black table. Never in his life had he seen such a quantity of instruments; in Sheffield, he was lucky to lay a finger on his so-called “wealthier” neighbor’s mandolin from time to time. He was so lost in awe of the room that he didn’t even notice that Miles had stopped playing and was now staring straight at him.

“Alexander?” Miles spoke at last. “What’s the matter?”

“What? Noth– I– ah– nothing, sir,” the brunet said, his eyes darting around before steadily landing on Miles. He lifted the books in his arms into the air a bit and gave a nervous laugh. “The- the queen wanted me to give these to you. You weren’t in the library, sir, but I heard music playing in here and– well, I’m here now, so-!”

Miles kept his eyes focused on Alexander as he walked towards him, holding his hands out for the books. “Thank you, Alexander,” he said quietly.

“I’m sorry for interrupting your playing. Perhaps I should leave now.”

“Stay,” Miles requested, holding his hand up. “Stay. I don’t mind.” He set the books down next to the flute on the small table and walked back over to the organ, although when he sat down, he didn’t resume playing. Alexander drifted around the room and settled on taking a seat on a small stool a few meters away from the organ.

“It’s beautiful, by the way,” he said.

“What’s beautiful?” Miles questioned.

“Your little song you were playing. I’ve never heard it before, but it was lovely.” The boy smiled and began picking at the burlap fabric that hugged his torso tightly.

“Oh, thank you, Alexander. I composed it myself. I wasn’t sure if it was too great or not…”

“It’s fantastic!” Alexander assured him. “Not that it’s a surprise, sir, coming from you! But I-I’ve always had a taste for music, I suppose.”

“Can you play?”

“The organ? No, sir, but I _can_ play a few tunes on the mandolin… I’m vocal, though, mostly. Singing little hymns here and there, or even my own words– when nobody’s around, of course.”

“That’s a shame,” Miles sighed.

“A shame? I don’t believe I understand what you mean by that, sir,” Alexander said with a worried tone.

“Forgive me, that was poorly worded. It’s a shame that you don’t sing when there are people around to hear your talents,” Miles clarified. “Would you like to sing for me?”

Alexander felt his fingertips twitch and he coughed into his shirt sleeve, not sure how to respond to the question. He could feel something warming in his whole body, like the dust moths that flew around the castle at times had somehow gotten stuck inside his stomach and were now fluttering around incessantly, making his heart beat a little faster in his chest. His mouth ran dry and he had to take a moment to regain his typical composure. “I’d love to,” he replied as calmly as he could.

Miles grinned and shifted his body so he could better give his servant all of his attention. “Whenever you feel ready,” he said with a nod.

Alexander fumbled with his thumbs and stuttered, “I- I mean, I-I’ve never written anything down for obvious reasons, so it– I don’t remember too much, but I- I do remember a line or two to something I came up with a- a while ago…” He looked up at Miles again, and when he received a welcoming nod, he quietly sang, _“Nobody I asked knew how he came to be the one to whom you surrendered…”_ He stopped there and shook his head. “That’s all. Sorry, sorry, I know I’m… I’m rather terrible at it.”

“Not at all!” Miles defended quickly. “Your voice is wonderful, I really do lov- er- _like_ it a lot.” He beamed at the boy but had to look away quickly for fear of potentially drowning somehow in the sight of those wide brown eyes. “I can infer already that you possess quite the talent.”

“Thank you, sir,” Alexander replied happily. “Your words are too kind. You’re… _always_ terribly kind.”

“I don’t see a reason to not be kind,” Miles said. “I feel it’s important to show kindness to everyone. Is that not how it should be?”

“Oh, of course, sir,” Alexander agreed. “I suppose I’m simply not accustomed to being… treated like an equal to any other kinds of people.”

Miles approached Alexander and gave him a sad look in response to his words. He raised a careful hand and Alexander held his breath as it cupped his jaw, the prince’s thumb rubbing slowly over his cheek. “I could never think of you as any less than who you are,” he said quietly.

“And… who do you see me as?” Alexander asked. His breath stuttered a bit as Miles’s hand trailed down his neck to his shoulder before falling away completely.

“Someone I wish I could be,” the prince answered at last, his voice still quiet. He turned away to retrieve one of the books from where he’d placed them on the table and flipped through the pages of it slowly. “Oh, I was curious– do you wish to read again today?”

Alexander smiled and nodded quickly. “I’d love that, sir. Thank you.”

Miles led the other boy out of the music room and into the library, motioning for him to sit in front of the hearth once more. They didn’t bother with starting a fire; Miles was quick to plop down next to his servant on the bearskin rug and he opened the book to a random page before Alexander stopped him.

 _“Wait,”_ he said in a rushed breath. “I actually… I had a request.” He paused before scrambling to add _“sir”_ at the end.

“What is your request?” Miles asked, his eyes lightening up a bit.

“May I… learn how to write my name?” Alexander looked down at his hands, shying away from the prince a bit.

“Of course!” Miles exclaimed. He jumped to his feet and raced to find parchment and a quill, being sure not to spill ink out of the inkwell in his other hand. When he returned in a matter of seconds, he placed the piece of parchment on top of the book and smiled eagerly. “I’ll tell you what each letter is, sound it out for you… then I’ll let you try.” He smiled and dipped the quill into the ink and slowly, with a careful hand, he wrote out _Alexander_ in soft curved letters. He set the quill down once he finished and Alexander’s eyes followed Miles’s finger as it pointed to each letter. He repeated the sounds after the prince spoke each one and with every letter, he felt just a little more proud of himself.

When Miles placed the quill in Alexander’s hand, the brunet held his breath and attempted to keep the anxious trembling of his fingers under control. His handwriting wasn’t great, but Miles didn’t expect it to be. He watched as the light in Alexander’s eyes grew more and more with each swirl of his hand, and he had never felt such happiness over another person’s joy before.

“…Like this, sir?” Alexander asked at last. The letters were messy and looked more like a child’s scrawl than anything, but the satisfaction in Alexander’s brown eyes, the proud but worried smile on his face, it all made Miles’s heart swell.

“Exactly so,” Miles replied softly. “Now, remember how to sound each letter out?”

The boy giggled happily and covered half his name with his hand, reading, “Alex…” Letting his hand fall off the rest of the letters, he finished, “…ander. Alexander.” He paused and covered the last five letters again, furrowing his eyebrows. “Alex…? Alex.” He studied the word and closed his eyes, looking as if he was tasting those four letters on his tongue. “Alex. I’m… quite fond of the way that sounds, actually.”

“Alex?” Miles repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, Alex. I like that very much.” The boy smiled and looked at Miles with wide eyes, as if asking for approval.

“It’s different,” Miles said, “but I like it too. A lot, really!” He smiled and touched the back of Alexander’s– no, _Alex’s–_ hand lightly. “Alex. It’s nice. It suits you quite well.”

“You really think so?”

“I really think so, yes.” Miles shoved the writing things away from them and he moved slightly closer to the boy. “Alex. _Alex._ It’s quite possible that I could go on for ages repeating that. It has a very nice feeling to it.”

Alex sighed and his eyelids fluttered closed, and soon enough, he was leaning his head against the prince’s shoulder. “Thank you, sir.”

“You thank me an awful lot,” Miles pointed out.

“It’s only necessary.”

“Why is it necessary?”

“Because you don’t have to treat me nearly as well as you do. And yet, still, you disregard how most royalty would treat their servants and you continue treating me as your equal.” Alex rubbed his hands together lazily and continued, “I don’t see how your old servant could have possibly hated you if you treat your servants like this.”

“Actually, Alex,” Miles said, “I didn’t exactly treat him as I treat you. I never showed him a single ounce of cruelty, of course, but… I actually treated him as my servant.”

“Am I the only servant of yours that you’ve shown such respect, then?”

“Surely, you are. The only one…”

Alex opened his eyes, a flash of brown coming to attention before his eyes softened. “Why is that, sir?”

“Do you want me to be honest, Alex?”

“Wholly and sincerely.”

Miles rested his head on Alex’s and his fingers nearly grazed the other boy’s as he said, “I haven't the slightest idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In other words, how many times could I repeat the word "treated" and get away with it lmao  
> also the line Alex sang is from Stuck On The Puzzle!!!! <3


	6. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex reads a little more, they go horseback riding, and lots of apples.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so thEY RIDE HORSES IN THIS  
> i've never been a "horse person" but honestly they are beautiful animals  
> here's what they look like: [Alex's horse](https://www.breyerhorses.com/files/imagesBreyer/Community/Horsepedia/HORSE_COLORS_WEB/DAPPLE_GREY_lipizzaner_diamant1011269_LR.jpg) [Miles's horse](https://www.breyerhorses.com/files/imagesBreyer/Community/Horsepedia/HORSE_COLORS_WEB/BLACK_angloaraber_neesahn711112_LR.jpg)  
> Miles also speaks German in this?? not 100% fluently but he does. Idk if he does in real life, probably not, but it was necessary. Besides, young royalty were typically required to be tutored in some sort of foreign language, as far as my knowledge extends. For translations, see the end notes.

_Our Father who art in Heaven, hall_  
_hallow?_  
_h a l l o w e d_  
_hallowed._  
_Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy king–_

“Alex?”

Miles stood in the doorway to the church cathedral, scanning his eyes over the entire room. He swore he could hear faint whispers coming from one of the back pews, but they came to a halt with the sound of a heavy book toppling to the ground. Soon enough, he saw the face of his favorite servant poke out from behind a pew, pupils dilating as they landed on Miles. He simply froze in place like that, resembling a fearful raccoon once a light has been shone on its face.

“Alex?” Miles repeated. “What are you doing in here?”

“I– uhm…” Alex pulled himself to stand on his feet and picked up the Bible he’d dropped on the floor. “R-reading, sir. I came in here for some peace and quiet. I’m sorry, sir, I know I didn’t tell you beforehand, but it slipped my mind–”

“Ay,” Miles called out, holding up his hand. “Alex, you needn’t fret. I’m not mad, no? Merely asking.” He walked over to the boy and smiled. “How’s your reading coming along?”

“Oh, fantastic, sir, really!” Alex exclaimed. “There was a word I wasn’t sure of but I think I may have corrected it?”

“What word?”

“Hall-hallowed? I believe?”

Miles grinned and patted Alex’s arm approvingly. “I’m proud of you, Alex. It makes me unintelligibly happy to see you succeed with this. It truly does.”

Alex didn’t say anything to that. He turned and sat down in the pew again and resumed reading as if Miles’s praise was most _definitely not_ tinting his cheeks a rosy pink. Miles looked on as Alex lowered his head to keep reading, noticing how his finger followed each word as he came to it. Discreetly, he slipped into the pew as well, clasping his hands together but continuing to watch Alex out of the corner of his eye.

“What does this say?” Alex asked after a bit, turning to face Miles.

“Bread,” Miles said with a gentle smile.

“And this word is for-g-give…? Oh! Forgive!”

“Most definitely.” Miles leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and he couldn’t help but gaze at the boy, who was completely oblivious to anything but the words his eyes were so enthralled in.

Alex mouthed each word to himself but stopped abruptly, a puzzled look on his face. “Deb-deb-buh-bit? That’s not sensible, um…”

“Debts,” Miles helped.

“But… what about that letter? B? Isn’t it supposed to make a ‘buh’ sound?”

“It is, yes, but not in this word. It’s silent. Some letters are in words for no reason, it really makes no sense…”

“Oh. All right. Thank you, sir.” Alex then went about repeating the word “debt” over and over again until he was sure he had it mastered, then attempted to finish off the prayer. He had several mistakes, some much more noticeable than others, but Miles was too entranced by his speaking to even try and correct him.

_Why was he entranced?_

Alex closed the Bible and set it aside with a sigh. “That’s enough for today,” he announced quietly. “Thank you for helping me, sir.”

“Of course,” Miles said just a little too quickly. “Although, I must admit something to you.”

“What’s that?”

“I much rather prefer German over English. Most, if not all, of the spellings actually make sense.” He smirked and leaned back, grimacing only slightly at the way the hard back of the seat pressed against his spine.

“You speak German?” Alex asked. “Could you say something, perhaps?”

“I’m not exactly fluent, but I can try,” Miles nodded. “Guten Morgen, Alexander. Wie geht es dir an diesem schönen Dienstag?”

“What does that mean?”

“Good morning, Alexander. How are you on this fine Tuesday?”

Alex grinned and very quietly, he responded, “I’m doing quite well, thank you, sir.” He thought before requesting, “Say something about yourself.”

“Ah… Ich bevorzuge die Farbe rot,” Miles said, unsure of what else to say. “I prefer the color red.”

Alex looked to Miles’s dark red cloak and snickered a bit. “I can tell, sir,” he said cheekily. “One more thing. Anything, really. I promise, this is the last thing, I won’t ever ask any more.”

Miles hesitated as if he was considering whether or not to say what he was thinking, and for a while, Alex nearly thought he wasn’t going to say anything at all. Miles moved only a centimeter or two closer to Alex on the pew and made flawless eye contact with him, hazel greeting brown somewhere that they couldn’t quite place their finger on. In a voice much lower than his default one, Miles opened his mouth and said, “Ich glaube, ich könnte dich lieben.”

Alex held his breath and reveled in the foreign words for a while until he asked, “And what does that mean?”

Miles shook his head and looked away. “I can’t quite remember,” he whispered.

Alex let out a shaky breath and shifted his head to stare at one of the several stained glass windows on the tall walls, one with a mix of reds and blues in the glass. “I think my mother would be proud of me right now,” he said quietly. “With my reading, I mean. She could never read or write either, but she always wished I could learn somehow.”

“You have a lot of love for your mother, don’t you?” Miles asked.

“Oh, yes, very much. I don’t have any brothers or any sisters, and after my father became ill and passed away, we only ever had each other. I pray she’s managing well.”

“Is she all right?” Miles asked, concerned.

“Ah… I’m not sure, sir. She fell ill a few weeks prior to my arrival here in the castle, but I believe she will survive. She’s always been very good at pushing through hardships.” Alex tugged at his shirt sleeves and caught a frayed thread between his fingernails, pulling at it again and again.

“My best wishes to her health,” Miles said with a nod. “Speaking of mothers, I actually remembered to tell you just now: the queen’s birthday banquet is one week from today. There are a few preparations we must make leading up to then, but not too many. I believe we must ride out to the apple orchards and collect a few basketfuls of apples. We can go either today or tomorrow, it’s up to you.”

“Today is fine!” Alex squeaked. “I mean, I- I suppose I just don’t see anything else to do, so what reason do we have to not go?”

Miles’s mouth cracked into a bit of a twinkle and he made a sound of agreement. “You’re quite right there,” he said. “We’ll leave when the clock’s hands reveal it to be half past two. Meet me in the horse stables then. You know where those are, correct?”

“Yes, sir. I do.”

“Wonderful. The apple baskets should already be in the stables, so don’t worry over that.” Miles rose to his feet and directed the gentlest of smiles down to Alex. “See you again soon.”

Once Alex was all alone in the cathedral again, he let out a tiny squeal and buried his face in his hands. Oh, he was falling all too quickly and there was nothing to be done of it.

He tried not to mind it as much as he thought he should have.

-

The horse stables were a considerably quiet place to be. Along one wall stood twelve stalls, each one containing a horse of both substantial size and beauty, and Alex had never seen such well-tamed animals. Back in the peasant fields he used to work in, they would use mules at times to pull small harvest wagons, but they tended to be stubborn-willed and often misbehaved. On the off chance that Alex ever got to encounter an actual horse, surprisingly enough, he was one of the few peasants in his area who could ever manage to ride it. People called it a gift; he only considered it patience.

As Alex waited for Miles to come around, he walked right over to a speckled gray mare, holding his hand out for the horse to lick it lightly. He giggled at the feeling and used his other hand to pet its mane, smiling at the silky smoothness of it. He didn’t even realize that Miles was standing only a meter or two away from him until he heard the prince cough.

“She seems quite fond of you,” he chuckled, his eyes glinting in the oddly angled sunlight. “She isn’t sweet with everyone, you know.”

Alex pressed his lips together and gave the horse one more gentle pat on the head. “What’s her name?” he asked.

“Arabella,” Miles replied. “Her mother is that pretty one over there, although she’s getting very old by now. She was my father's favorite.” He walked over to the one with black fur a few stalls down from Arabella and patted its mane. “And this is _my_ favorite. His name’s Ringo, he’s a sweet one too.”

“May Arabella be the one I ride to the orchard?” Alex asked. “I think I’m getting attached already.” He laughed, his eyes squinting up as he did so, and Miles tried to not pay any attention to the way he could feel his heartbeat flicker.

“Of course,” he said. “She should already have a saddle on, hopefully.”

Alex flipped up the lock on the stall door and nodded at seeing that Miles was right. He took her by one of her reigns and led her out into the main part of the stables, then, making sure she was standing still, he hopped up to sit on the saddle with ease, placing his boots in the footholds.

“That is the quickest I have ever seen _anyone_ mount a horse,” Miles laughed in disbelief. “Have lots of practice?”

“Mostly just intuition,” Alex shrugged. He watched as the prince struggled to mount Ringo for a few moments before at last, they were both on their horses. Miles called out to one of the stable workers to bring them their apple baskets and the little man ran around both of them, attaching the baskets to the saddles with twitching fingers.

“Are you ready?” Miles asked, turning his head towards Alex slightly.

“Yes, sir,” Alex replied with a smile. With that, they set off, Alex having to follow in Miles’s lead to find wherever the apple orchard was. It was a much longer ride than he expected it to be, but he didn’t mind it, as Miles kept him engaged with several different things to talk about. In everything Miles said, Alex had to keep himself focused on the path he was taking, otherwise he knew he would find himself almost slipping off his horse due to the trance Miles’s voice put him in.

If he didn’t know any better, he’d say he was falling in love with the soon-to-be king.

-

The apple orchard was _much_ larger than Alex had expected it to be by far. Fruit-bearing trees extended about as far as the eye could see, a mesh of greens and browns and reds unfolding right before Alex’s eyes. The sweet smell coming from each individual fruit practically made his mouth water.

The two boys tied their horses to two separate trees and unattached the baskets from the saddles, and slowly, they began walking around, eyes twinkling in hopes of finding perfect fruit to collect. They didn’t speak now, although when they did run into each other here and there, they would giggle and stand there for a minute, each boy’s body swaying lightly before continuing about their apple-picking.

When Alex’s basket was about halfway full, Miles walked over to him and motioned for him to sit. They both leaned back against the trunk of the nearest tree and when Miles handed Alex an apple, he gave him a puzzled look.

“Eat it,” Miles ushered. “Go on, try it. I promise you, it’s worth it.”

“Are you sure it’s okay, sir?”

“I’m positive.”

Alex nodded and lifted the apple to his mouth, and biting into it, the first thing he felt was sweet apple juice hitting his tongue, the soft skin of the apple crunching easily under his teeth. “It’s good!” he exclaimed, wrapping both his hands around it. He chewed slowly and closed his eyes, letting the flavor fill his mouth and, in turn, his stomach once he swallowed the bite. He could only manage a few more bites before he actually felt full from all the sweetness.

“You should give the rest of it to Arabella,” Miles commented. “She absolutely adores apples.”

Alex nodded but made no effort to get up. Instead, he set the half-eaten apple aside in the grass and flopped backwards, closing his eyes as he lay back. Wisps of his now-short hair curled around his forehead and ears, and as he stayed there nearly completely still, lips parted, chest rising only slightly with each breath, he looked as if he was a painting, each strand of his hair or stitch on his clothing clearly defined by the artist’s hand. And whoever that artist was, Miles envied him, for he longed to be the one to trickle his fingers over every inch of Alex, the one who could call him his own, the one who could appreciate this masterpiece in any way he desired without it being frowned upon.

“Beautiful,” he whispered out loud, cupping his hand over his mouth quickly.

“Hm? What did you say, sir?” Alex asked, eyes still closed.

“Nothing, only speaking to myself,” Miles answered. He peeled his eyes away from the boy and shed himself of his overheating cloak, folding it up nicely and keeping it next to him as he, too, chose to lie down on the ground with Alex. Moving closer and closer, he rested his head on the boy’s chest, closing his eyes as well.

“Sir…?” Alex said, opening one of his eyes halfway.

“Shh, quiet, please,” Miles said almost silently. “I’m only resting. Nothing more.”

That last part was a lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okokok so translation for the one thing Miles didn't translate (I don't speak German, I used Google Translate, so if any of you do speak German and you have corrections, please!!let!!me!!know!!! and I will fix any mistakes right away ^^)  
> “Ich glaube, ich könnte dich lieben.” = "I think I could love you" or "I think I might love you". Either one works. (: (: (: you're welcome ok bye


	7. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles gets hurt during swordfight practice and Alex sees fireworks for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapter updates in one day?? You bet!!!!!!!!!!!  
> for the record, yes, fireworks actually did exist then. they weren't like the ones we have today, but... i'm not shooting for perfect accuracy here. i've never seen what the very first fireworks looked like. fite me

Alex soon found that the apples they had spent an entire afternoon picking were to be used to create a particularly large cake for the queen’s birthday banquet. Considering the fact that this was to be the last birthday she would celebrate while still holding the title of queen, the entire kingdom was particularly antsy about ensuring everything was going to be absolutely _spectacular_ for Her Majesty’s sake. If there was one thing Alex picked up on by now, it was that one _never_ wished to be the one to let the queen down.

On Friday, while the rest of the castle servants tended to whatever business they were required to, Alex found himself sitting on the sidelines as Miles engaged in some afternoon swordfighting practice. He’d brought along a book or two from the king’s library to get some more reading practice in, but that was nearly impossible to do as he soon discovered that his eyes didn’t seem to want to move away from Miles. The prince’s tall figure danced around his instructor, their swords meeting mid-air with a loud _clink_ each time.

“En garde!” the instructor shouted. Miles returned to his beginning stance immediately, as if he was a well-trained dog obeying its master’s orders. Alex wondered how long Miles had been doing such a thing.

Miles turned his head to glance at Alex, so Alex moved his eyes back down to the book in his lap just in time to ensure Miles wouldn’t notice him staring. He soon found himself lost in the words on the page and sounded out each syllable under his breath, reluctantly skipping over words he couldn’t quite understand but still managing to piece entire sentences together. It was a fable of Greek origin, as far as his knowledge extended, about a lion requesting permission to marry a peasant girl. It was unrealistic by far, but entertaining nonetheless, and Alex felt as if the story unfolded right before his eyes with each word that he read.

Just as he reached the last sentence of the short story, he heard a loud _“agh!”_ and the sound of someone falling to the ground along with a sword clattering on the floor. As he jerked his head up and saw Miles on the ground, wincing and holding his arm tightly.

“Prince Miles!” the boy exclaimed, throwing the book down and rushing over to the prince on the ground. “Are you bleeding?!”

“I- I’m all right, Alexander,” Miles said as his instructor knelt down next to him. “Only a scuff, a mere scratch, it’ll be- _agh-_ a tiny scab by morning.”

“Please let me see, sir,” Alex begged. He pulled Miles’s hand off of his arm and flinched a bit at the sight. The sword had managed to pierce through the top layer of skin, and although it wasn’t anything too ghastly, Alex didn’t want to risk anything. “Andrew, please get me a pail of water and a linen cloth,” he said to Miles’s instructor. _“Quickly,_ please!” The man ran off, leaving Alex alone with Miles on the floor. He hastily ripped off a piece of his own shirt– his own clothing was far less valuable than Miles’s– and set it aside as he tried to keep Miles calm.

 _“God,_ it stings, Alex, it stings,” he hissed through his teeth, writhing around a bit. Alex kept one hand around Miles’s bleeding arm and placed his other hand on his chest to keep him from moving so much.

“I know it does, sir, but just… bear with me, bear with me…” Alex said quietly. The instructor came back with a pail in one hand and a small white cloth in the other and handed both things to Alex, and the brunet soon began dabbing at Miles’s wound, soaking up the blood and turning the water in the pail a sickening shade of red. Miles groaned and tried to breathe clearly as the water stung in his gash, his eyes clenching shut tightly so he wouldn’t have to look at the bloody scene.

“I told you to watch your stance,” the instructor began to scold, but Alex shot him a razor-sharp glare.

“Excuse me, sir, but I don’t believe now is the time to reprimand His Majesty,” he said coldly. “Could you possibly do it when he’s not bleeding?”

The man shut up and moved away at that, earning an approving hum from the servant in response. Finally, once it seemed the bleeding was mostly clearing up, he took hold of the fabric he’d ripped from his shirt and tied it tightly around the wounded area of Miles’s arm, using it as a tourniquet.

“You should be all right,” Alex panted once he was sure the tourniquet was working efficiently. “How are you feeling right now?”

“I want to sleep,” Miles requested weakly. “And I’m not sure if I can summon the strength to walk on my own at the moment.”

“Do you need me to assist you to your room?” the instructor groaned.

“I’m perfectly capable of doing so, thank you, sir,” Alex interrupted. He hoisted Miles into his arms and the prince wrapped his undamaged arm around Alex’s neck weakly to keep himself up. He pressed his face into his servant’s chest and tried to ignore the pulsing in his arm as they began making their way to Miles’s bedchamber, Alex’s fables all but forgotten.

-

Alex ensured Miles stayed comfortably propped up on his feather pillows as he slept, his arm resting out beside him almost weightlessly. He stayed by his bedside all the while, not caring a bit about the aching state of his knees as he knelt on the floor. He watched the other boy sleep peacefully, his chest rising quickly with each deep inhale but falling considerably slowly on every exhale. Alex couldn’t help but admire how absolutely _lovely_ he looked to him.

He felt vilely scandalous as he did so, but he took Miles’s right hand in his own and held it gently. He ran his thumb over the prince’s palm and traced each wrinkle in his hand with his thumbnail. Turning Miles’s hand over to reveal the back of it, Alex admired the soft skin and pressed it lightly to his cheek, closing his eyes as he moved it down to his lips. He placed a long, warm kiss there, an inch or so away from the knuckles, and for a moment, he thought he felt Miles’s fingers twitch beneath his chin, but he dismissed it.

“Sleep well, Good Prince,” he whispered against his skin. With that, he let the hand drop lightly to the bed again and he rose to his feet. As he walked out of the room, he could hear Miles stirring, but he chose not to look over his shoulder anyways.

-

“Miles, there’s someone I’d like for you to meet.”

It was in the midst of a crowded ballroom, half past the eleventh hour of the night, and the queen’s birthday celebration was practically boring Miles to tears. All evening, all he had heard was _do this, do that, straighten your posture, meet this duke, meet this sweet maiden, go there, come here,_ so on and so on until Miles was tempted to stab himself directly in his wound from a few days prior.

He never even had a single chance to dance with the one person he actually wished he could; Alex was being forced to stay in the kitchen and help with continuous food preparation during the entire celebration.

Currently, his mother was standing in front of him next to a blonde girl who was a few inches shorter than he was. “This is Duchess Suki Waterhouse. She’s married to the duke of Belgium, but you two used to play together as young children,” the queen said. “Lovely woman you’ve grown to be, Duchess Suki.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Suki replied brightly. “And happy birthday to you.”

The queen glowered at Miles in hopes he would say something, but instead, he stood there dumbly, relatively unimpressed by the whole situation. “Pleasure to meet you again,” he finally said, although he didn’t take the girl by the hand. “I hope all matters are well in your kingdom. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go.”

“Where do you think you’re going?” the queen hissed.

“This is a banquet, there’s food all around me, and I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since this morning and I’d like to do so now. I thank you very much for your permission.” Miles ducked away from both women quickly and disappeared into the crowd, dodging dancing couples and being sure not to trip over ladies’ petticoats. He finally reached the kitchen– being sure to avoid the head chef– and snagged a full wine glass off of a table as he made his way over to Alexa.

“Have you seen Alex-Alexander?” Miles stammered at the girl, trying not to spill any wine on the floor.

“He’s over there, next to all the bowls of fruit,” Alexa tipped. “Do you see him, Your Majesty?”

Miles had to stretch his neck a bit to see over people’s heads, but he did, in fact, spot Alex. The boy was currently biting into a strawberry, a smile on his face despite the fact he had no one to talk to. Miles thanked Alexa and, as if his boots were in flames, he practically ran over to Alex, grabbing his wrist when he reached him.

“P-Prince Miles?” Alex sputtered, nearly choking on the strawberry mid-swallow. “What’s the matter?”

“I need you to come with me,” Miles said in a low voice so that no one else would hear.

“Is everything all right?”

“I’m fine, I’m alive and well. I’m just finding this ‘party’ quite a bore and I’d like to get away from it all.”

“With- with _me?”_

“I don’t see anyone else who would.”

Alex nodded and followed Miles out of the kitchen, his wrist still caught tightly in Miles’s grip albeit not painfully at all. “Where are we going?” he whispered once they were all alone in a corridor far from the ballroom.

“Have you been to the upper east wing?”

“No, sir, I have not.”

“Well, I’m leading you there.” Miles seemed determined to get to the east wing quickly, approaching the stairs with purpose in his step. He let go of Alex’s wrist as they began climbing the stairs, although his fingertips trickled against Alex’s hand nonchalantly before completely letting go.

“Here we are,” he said at last once they were at the top of the stairs. The walls seemed to be made almost completely of windows, red tapestries strung above each glass pane. At the very end of it all was a set of glass doors leading to a balcony, and that seemed to be exactly where Miles was taking Alex.

“It’s dark outside though,” Alex said quietly.

“Not exactly for long,” Miles replied, twisting the silver door handles and pushing through the double doors. They were met with a light breeze that caused both their hair to flutter a bit, but it actually felt rather nice.

“Over there, that’s the courtyard,” Miles said, motioning to the purlieu around the castle with his hand. “And in just a minute, someone down there is going to set off–”

_Boom!_

“–fireworks.”

Alex jumped into the air at the sudden noise and stared frightfully at Miles, his hands trembling in an obvious manner. “F-fire!?”

“Fire _works,”_ Miles said. “They’re imported from the Chinese empire. My mother loves them, so we tend to use them during celebrations. Another one is about to burst, watch carefully.”

This time, Alex watched the sky. He still jumped nervously at the booming sound, but when he saw splashes of red and orange fizzle across the black sky, he held his breath. “They’re beautiful,” he whispered. “How is that even possible?”

“I haven’t a clue,” Miles said. “When I was younger, I pretended they were just magic.”

“Magic,” Alex whispered again, all the wonder of a child filling his expression. The next fireworks to burst were a vibrant shade of purple, but he jumped again. This time, Miles had his arms out, ready to catch Alex as his feet flew off the ground. Alex turned his head to stare at Miles, but the prince was looking up at the sky. Alex flicked his gaze back to the sky as well and when the fireworks burst in the sky– a mix of red, yellow, blue, pink, white– he didn’t jump. He simply watched them mix and mingle with the black background behind them before dissipating forever. They continued on like this for the longest time, but as the night got closer and closer to midnight, Miles found himself pressing two fingers to Alex’s cheek lightly. _What was he doing?_

“Alex,” he whispered as a few sparkling white fireworks made their way across the sky.

“Hm?”

“Look at me, please.”

Alex tore his eyes away from the scenery and turned his head so he was face-to-face with the prince, and something about their proximity made his heart flutter at an impossible speed.

 _Crackle, crackle,_ another firework began to send itself into the air.

Miles stopped breathing and lowered his face to meet his servant's, his fingers moving from his cheek to just underneath of his chin.

A billion more fireworks sizzled and seared across the night sky.

Miles pressed his lips to Alex’s.

_Boom._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha my hand slipped


	8. VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kissing the prince just might be Alex's new favorite thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sort of a filler chapter but hey, kissies ;*

One of the funny things about being kissed for the first time is you don’t exactly register what’s happening; your brain shifts into overdrive and suddenly, your lips are moving on their own. The other funny thing is you never know how much time has passed until you open your eyes and realize everything that was once happening has suddenly stopped.

Alex snapped out of it when Miles finally broke the kiss and they both realized that the fireworks had stopped some minutes ago.

“Prince Miles?” Alex whispered, cheeks flushed, eyes widened, fingers trickling over where Miles’s lips had just been. “Sir, you… you…”

“I fancy you, Alex,” Miles said, peering out over the rail of the balcony at the castle grounds below. “I suppose I never knew how to tell you, exactly.”

 _“Fancy_ me?” Alex repeated breathlessly. “Sir, I don’t… Why would… You… I’m not… What?”

Miles chuckled quietly and stared straight down at his boots. “I fancy you quite a lot, really. Do you happen to… fancy _me?”_

Alex held his breath silently as the wind picked up speed, causing both boys’ clothing to flutter a bit. He took a few careful steps towards the prince and wrung his hands together in front of himself. Slowly and gently, he placed a kiss on Miles’s cheek before trailing his lips to his ear and whispering, “I do.”

He squeaked in surprise as Miles wrapped an arm around his waist and drew him in closely. “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard better news,” Miles said, refusing to break eye contact with Alex. Alex parted his lips slightly as he fell into a sort of trance and his eyelids flickered shut as the prince’s mouth captured his again. His back pressed against the balcony railing and he draped his arms over Miles’s shoulders as the prince held his waist in place with gentle hands. Alex felt his heart hammer inside his chest faster than it probably should have been but he paid it no mind, merely focusing on trying to keep up with the pace Miles was keeping for the kiss. Miles tugged on Alex’s lower lip with his teeth and the boy moaned lowly in his throat at the feeling.

“Alex,” Miles said at last, looking the boy in the eye. “Are you all right?”

Alex had a dizzied look on his face and he could now feel how hard his hear was really beating, the sound echoing in his ears like a new round of fireworks. “Sir, if I die tonight, please know that I leave with pure joy in my veins,” he stammered.

“You’re not going to die,” Miles laughed, steadying Alex with his arms. “I believe this is what shock feels like.”

“Certainly, sir, for I am most definitely _shocked,”_ Alex said in a fragile tone. He leaned his forehead on Miles’s shoulder and began to giggle against his neck, causing the other boy to laugh as well. He wrapped his arms around Miles’s torso and leaned his neck to the side as he murmured, “Very shocked indeed…”

Miles noticed the amount of soft skin on Alex’s neck that was now available to him and he began to feather light kisses there, eliciting a slight whimper from Alex’s mouth. “Alex,” he whispered on the boy’s collarbone, “has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?”

 _“Beautiful?_ Oh, no, sir,” Alex replied in a shaky breath.

“Shame on the rest of the existing world, then,” Miles said. “Although I do consider it an honor to be the first one to do so.”

“An _honor?_ Sir, forgive me, but you must be mistaken. How can I possibly bring you any sort of honor?”

“Some things are unexplainable, dear Alex.” Miles stroked his finger over Alex’s cheek and took him by the hand. “I’ve found that love is one of those things.”

-

Hours after the queen’s celebration ended, every soul within the castle was lost within slumber except for a certain prince and his servant. The two lay in Miles’s bed, staring at the ceiling and talking about anything that came to mind. Every time Alex laughed, Miles felt a flame ignite in his heart, and by the time the sun peered out from behind the rolling hills in the distance, he could barely breathe because of the raging fire building in his chest. At some point, Alex managed to fold his fingers together with Miles’s and pulled himself to curl up around one side of the prince’s body. When they fell asleep at last, their bodies were so entwined that it was difficult to tell which limbs belonged to whom.

-

When Miles woke again somewhere around noon, his heart stopped in his chest at the sudden realization that Alex was no longer by his side. He reached out to where the boy’s body should have been, but his fingers met only the creases in his sheets. He was half tempted to go on a wild goose chase in order to find the brunet, but as soon as he turned his head, he saw Alex himself standing in the doorway in his hands.

“Forgive my temporary absence, sir,” he said. “I decided on fetching breakfast for the both of us and bringing it back here. You looked so peaceful as you slept, I couldn’t bring myself to wake you.” He smiled and brought the tray over to Miles, laying it on the bed. “I hope you slept well?”

“Best sleep I’ve had in a while,” Miles agreed. He sat up, grimacing at the pain which still lingered in his am from Friday’s accident, and moved forward on his knees to be closer to Alex as they ate. “And you?”

“I’ve never been better, sir,” Alex replied. They ate silently, Miles leaving his grapes untouched per usual, until finally, he spoke.

“Alex, I hope you know that if you do not, in fact, fancy me, then you don’t have to pretend as so. Just because you’re my servant, that does _not_ mean you have to succumb to my feelings for you.”

Alex perked his ears up and shook his head immediately. “Oh, no, sir, that’s not the case at all! I promise you, it isn’t.”

Miles studied Alex’s face for a moment and smiled at him. “Thank you, then,” he said. Leaning forward, he kissed Alex’s forehead softly and ran his thumb over the boy’s lips. “You’re the most lovely person I’ve met in a long time, Alex. A very long time.”

Alex giggled and popped a single grape into his mouth, chewing slowly as he smiled. There were no words that he could bring himself to form coherent sentences with; he chose to quietly appreciate Miles’s words instead of potentially ruining the moment with whatever jumbled speech would come out of his mouth. With his own lip caught between his teeth, he was taken by surprise when Miles’s hand suddenly cupped around his face, getting him to look back up at him again.

“What is it that you think of?” Miles asked quietly.

“I’m not sure, sir,” Alex replied. “Perhaps a… sort of request.”

“What request would this be?”

Alex turned his attention back to eating another grape from Miles’s plate before saying, “I’d like for you to kiss me again, sir.”

Miles was quick to place the plates and the tray they had been carried in on onto the floor, making way to sit knee-to-knee with Alex. Alex let his head rest peacefully against Miles’s hand and before he knew it, Miles’s lips were on his again. It felt absolutely perfect; there was no denying whatsoever that Miles’s lips were meant for Alex’s.

Alex soon found himself lying back on the bed, his fingers trembling only slightly as they held onto the back of Miles’s nightshirt. He remained breathing through his nose, as his mouth was occupied with kissing and he didn’t dare think of pulling away for a second just to catch his breath. He could once again feel his heart pounding at a terrifying pace and Miles had to stroke his cheek with a single soft finger to remind him to calm down a bit. He couldn’t help it; he’d never kissed anyone in his life until now and Miles’s very presence could get him more intoxicated than a drunken peasant with an entire brew of whiskey.

They were ruefully torn apart by the sound of the queen’s voice echoing down the hall, giving Miles about thirty seconds to roll off of Alex, leaving the boy’s lips red and swollen. Alex took a little longer to break out of his daze, but he forced himself to anyways, hopping off the bed and picking up the tray from the ground. “I’ll go return these dishes to the kitchen, sir,” he said, slipping out of the room just as the queen entered. He passed her with a respectful nod and a quiet greeting of _“good morning, My Lady”,_ but after that, he was completely gone.

“What were you two doing, eating in here as opposed to the dining hall?” the queen questioned Miles immediately, arms strictly crossed across her chest.

“I requested it, Your Highness,” Miles responded. “I did not have the will to rise from bed so soon, so I ordered him to fetch us breakfast and bring it back here.”

“That’s no attitude for a king to have. _Laziness.”_

“Mayhap not, Your Grace, but at least I see now that he truly is willing to serve me with every beck and call.”

“I suppose so,” the queen agreed. “Nonetheless, get out of bed now. You have your archery practice with Gregory today. I am preparing for my trip to visit the Sharrock family in a couple of weeks now, so if you need me, have Alexander send for Alexa. She should tend to whatever it is you require from me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Miles said. “Oh- and I pray that your birthday celebration yesterday was to your liking.”

“Quite spectacular, yes.” She lingered in the room for a while longer, eyeing every single detail in her view with a hum. “God be with you today.”

“And you as well, madam.”

The queen finally left with that, her heels clacking with a chilling edge to them as she walked away. Miles let out a suppressed breath at her departure and flopped himself back on the bed, hands immediately going to cover his eyes. He planned out his entire day’s schedule within fifteen seconds or less and when he was satisfied, he sat up again, walking to his wardrobe to dress himself.

All he needed now was to find Alex again and his entire day would be set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know when I'll be able to update next because next week I'm having testing again. School is getting really stressful what with it being the end of the year and all. But hey, after May 28, school will no longer exist (for a few months, anyway) and I'll be able to write nonstop (hopefully.)  
> Also some things in my personal life- some social drama as well as my own mental health being a bitch recently- have caused a bit of a hiccup in my updating patterns, so I apologize for that.  
> Hopefully chapter 9 should be up soon after testing is all done. :)


	9. IX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys learn that the concept of love is a rather confusing one, but also that it's super worth it. These summaries are ridiculous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha guess who's updating...a week late...oops...  
> I don't even have an excuse tbh. But hey, here it is so... woo. Also please please please read the notes at the end of this chapter. Please.

Past the green trees of the apple orchard stood a considerably vast amount of barren land, and it was in these twenty acres that Miles spent his time for archery practice. Due to the healing wound on his arm from his fencing accident, using his bow in such a condition proved to be a rather daunting task, but he soon came to realize that this was not the only thing slowing him down.

His archery instructor, Gregory, seemed fed up with Miles’s abstract actions after he completely missed the target for the seventh time in a row. “Now, Your Majesty, do forgive me, but what in God’s holy name do you think you’re doing?” he groaned.

Miles lowered his bow, arrow pointing at the ground, and sighed in response. “I’m sorry, Gregory. My mind is elsewhere at the moment.”

“Where else would it be?”

“Anywhere but here, truthfully.”

Gregory raised an eyebrow at the prince and approached him, callused feet slowly bringing him closer. “What’s on your mind, Prince Miles?”

“You’d assume me a fool if I tried to explain.”

“Explain anyways.”

Miles swallowed a lump in his throat and shifted his weight from side to side as he pondered over his thoughts. “I suppose I’m struggling with… love?”

“Love?”

“Yes, love.” He shied away and scratched at the back of his neck. “Gregory, please be honest with me. Is love ever easy to sort out?”

“I’m afraid…” Gregory shook his head and raised his shoulders in a shrug. “…I’m afraid I don’t have a proper answer for you, My Liege. Keep in mind my own wife-to-be went with the good Lord before I had the chance to wed her.”

“Did you not love her before marriage, then?”

“I did, I did,” Gregory clarified. “But it was she who never declared if the love was returned.”

Miles stayed quiet for a long while after that, but as he attempted to raise his bow again, he stopped himself. “What if the love is returned on both sides? And you are only uncertain as to what you should do?”

“If the love is returned, Your Majesty,” Gregory began, “you can do whatever it is your heart desires. After all, love is the second most powerful force on Earth.”

“Second? What might the first be?” Miles questioned.

“Why, hatred, of course.”

-

Miles, as unfortunate as he was, did not get a chance to see Alex for the rest of the sun-lit hours of the day. The evening sun soon began to set and Miles found himself in the music room again. His fingers made themselves at home on the ivory keys of the organ and the room soon filled with melodies that seemed to create themselves on their own. He didn’t exactly have anything in mind when he started to play, but as he continued, he realized his song was for Alex. He closed his eyes and continued like so until he heard a loud knock on the door, taking him by surprise and causing him to hit the keys brashly. “C-come in!” he yelled at the door.

His eyes soon landed on the face that could belong to no one other than his muse, and he immediately broke into a smile. “Alex!” he exclaimed. “I haven’t seen you all day! Come in, please, and close the door if you wouldn’t mind it.”

Alex’s eyes filled with light and his lips curved in the slightest manner at Miles’s excitement. With a small book in hand, he closed the large door and floated on over to the prince. “How has your day been?” he asked politely.

“Not too dreadful,” Miles teased, “although it could have been better.”

“How so?”

“I could have alternatively spent the entirety of it with you.”

Alex’s expression flickered for a short moment, his smile faltering. Setting his book down, he slid on the bench in front of the organ to sit by Miles and hummed as he felt a warm arm wrap around his torso. “Her Majesty requested my services today, sir. I’m sorry I could not spend more time with you… But now I may.”

Miles responded by pressing his lips to Alex’s temples gently. He directed his attention away from the organ and now held Alex close with both of his arms. He rubbed small circles into the boy’s side lazily and pressed their foreheads together, watching with half-open eyes as Alex’s brown ones closed completely.

“Alex?” Miles whispered. Alex’s mouth twitched although he did not open his eyes and let out a quiet, questioning hum. “May I have permission to kiss you?”

Alex raised his head and his eyelids flashed open. With a tender smile and a red flush of his cheeks, he replied, “Of course you may.”

Upon receiving permission, Miles began leaving slow, tiny kisses all down the side of Alex’s jaw and cheek. A breathy giggle emitted from the brunet’s lips and he leaned in to Miles, interlocking their fingers automatically. He shifted himself so that he was straddling the organ bench and now faced Miles completely. Miles mirrored his actions with a laugh and soon, they were kissing at last, lips on lips merging warmly, slowly. Alex draped his arms across Miles’s shoulders and his foot brushed against the prince’s ankle. He could feel creases forming at the corners of his eyes as his smile only continued to grow. Finally, he pulled away and rested his head in the crook of Miles’s neck, laughing breathlessly against his skin.

“I just can’t believe this,” he said. “I’m falling in love with the _prince,_ of all people…”

Miles closed his eyes and swayed a bit on the bench, keeping his hands on Alex’s waist. In a hazy voice, he whispered, “Ich liebe dich.”

Alex’s heartbeat stuttered and he felt the tips of his fingers buzz as he opened his mouth and asked, “What does that mean?”

Miles simply brushed his fingers over Alex’s cheek and whispered, “You already know.”

-

Two hours before midnight, Miles as back to playing his organ, although he kept a watchful eye on Alex, who spread himself out on the music room floor as he read. With his stomach pressed against the ground, he swung his feet back and forth to the rhythm of each song he heard Miles play. He lost himself in the beautiful words of the book before his eyes; it was another tale of Greek origin, this time about a fox and some grapes, or something of the sort. He couldn’t help but giggle as he read, as he could feel the prince’s eyes staring at him from across the room.

“Why don’t you just have me painted, sir?” he joked. “It’d last longer.”

“I’ll add that to my mental list of things I should do with you.”

Alex felt his face burn and, without looking up from his book, he asked, “What might that list consist of, sir?”

Miles hit his fingers against the keys suddenly, resulting in a sour note that scared Alex with its suddenness. “Well,” Miles said, standing up, “I know what the first thing on the list is.”

“What would that be…?”

Miles didn’t say anything as he stalked towards Alex, the boy’s brown eyes following him while he walked closer and closer. He soon sat down on the floor beside Alex and the brunet looked up at him with a nervous smile. He closed his book and set it aside, then proceeded to sit up on his knees as well. “Sir?”

“Alex, do you have trust in me?”

“Of- of course I do! I trust you with the very breath in my lungs,” Alex responded.

“Then come closer,” Miles invited, “and allow me to take that breath from you.” Alex didn’t need to be told twice as he scooted across the floor, closing the distance between them. He gasped quietly when Miles placed his hands on his hips and looked into his eyes. “Is that all right?” he asked Alex. The boy nodded reassuringly and leaned in closer, his nose almost touching Miles’s but not completely. “Look at you, Alex. You’re so… so impossibly _beautiful.”_

Alex opened his mouth to gape at Miles a bit, but he was stopped when Miles’s mouth overtook his yet again. He suddenly became hyper-aware of all his senses; Miles’s fingers felt as if they were burning into his hips, his lips tasted like a mix of cloves and honey, _he was pushing Alex down ever so subtly._ Alex gave in and lay down on the floor carefully so as not to hurt his head, immediately wrapping his arms around the prince’s neck. He didn’t completely comprehend all that was happening, but all he knew was that it felt so _good_ to kiss Miles like this. He didn’t care about anything else.

Miles placed his arms on either side of Alex’s head and moved so that he was between the boy’s legs, the rest of his body hovering over Alex’s torso as if a thin ghost lay between them. Opening his eyes for only a second, Miles stared down at Alex beneath him, and he couldn’t help but grin uncontrollably at the sight. Alex’s eyes flicked open and he pulled away from the kiss, choosing to stare wildly up at the prince. “What is it?” he questioned. “What is it you smile at?”

“You, Alex,” Miles replied. “I smile at you and all that radiates from you.” He admired the boy’s beautifully puzzled expression for a moment longer before resuming the kiss, his lips feeling at home as they pressed against Alex’s.

Miles used the tip of his tongue to lick at Alex’s teeth, asking for permission to enter his mouth. The boy obliged and opened his mouth further, and his cheeks burned a rosy shade of dark pink when he felt Miles’s tongue melt against his. His body felt like he was on fire, and everything was perfect until–

“Your Majesty, the queen wants–”

–Alexa barged through the music room doors.

The girl cut herself off and Miles jerked his head up immediately, feeling his heart stop beating inside of his chest. Alex couldn’t feel anything at all.

“…Your Majesty?” the girl whispered.

“Alexa, you know very well that you are not to enter my father’s chambers under _any_ circumstances,” Miles hissed lowly.

“What are you doing?” Alexa asked with a slow blink. Miles rose from where he was on the floor and slowly walked towards her; Alex remained on the floor with his eyes shut tightly in hopes he would disappear.

“It is none of your business as to what I may or may not be doing,” the prince said in a rather threatening tone as he walked closer to the brunette. “All you need to know is that if a single word of this encounter is so much as uttered to the queen, you will never be able to speak another word again. Is that understood, Alexa?”

Alexa swallowed a lump in her throat and backed away slowly from the music room. “Understood,” she agreed. “F-forgive me, Your Majesty.”

Miles slammed the door in her face and didn’t breathe at all until he heard her feet patter all the way down the corridor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI IF YOU'RE READING THESE NOTES LIKE A GOOD LITTLE BABY THEN I THANK YOU GREATLY  
> 1) woOOO CLIFFHANGER sorta woOOooOOo spoopy  
> 2) later on, this story is going to divulge into Alexa a bit more as a character and all!! I love her a lot, and I feel like her backstory will really open up more insight into different characters as well as add to the plot. woo.  
> 3) I have 8 SCHOOL DAYS LEFT!! That's 11 days total until the end of this school year. (May 28 AYEEE) After that, I am 100% yours. I won't have stupid exams or homework or anything at all to keep me from writing. I love you all so much and I'm so excited for summer to be here!!!  
> 4) I would appreciate it SO FUCKING CRAZILY MUCH if you guys followed my [instagram!!!](http://instagr.am/just.some.lover) I just post Alex, Miles, Alexa, and Suki related stuff. I also make video edits so that's cool. If you do follow me, message me on [tumblr](http://doujinbag.tumblr.com) and I'll write you a drabble!! Made specially JUST FOR YOU!! Promise<3  
> 5) I almost wrote something about Starbucks here but then I felt really capitalist so I deleted it but all I'm saying is s'mores frappuccinos are so good that I cried bc religious experience anywAYS  
> YEAH THAT'S ALL FOLKS THANK U FOR READING!!


	10. X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexa speaks her mind, Miles and Alex share fluffy moments, and the queen leaves (temporarily). Fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Instagram is now [@blond.o.sonic](http://instagr.am/blond.o.sonic) in case anyone was wondering!  
> I'm also starting to post my fics not only on ao3 but on [wordpress](http://yourearrangemymilex.wordpress.com) as well. The blog is still under construction though, don't judge the shadiness!  
>  **translation note:** "Guten Morgen" means "Good morning" in German. ^^

Alex returned to his small chamber that night, although he really didn't sleep so much as close his eyes tightly and hope for some miracle to happen. He wished he could reverse time and ensure Alexa wouldn't have seen them. Despite how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that settled in his spine.

It was just a few hours after midnight when his eyes finally gained the heaviness that would allow him to fall asleep. However, just as he found comfort in the wool blanket that covered his body, he heard a soft voice call to him from the doorway to his chamber. _Alexa._

"Alexander?" she whispered into the dark room, her arms crossed over her nightgown-clad chest. "Alexander, are you yet asleep?"

Alex raised his head and struggled to find the correct words before saying, "I am awake, Alexa." His voice was merely a raspy whisper.

"May I come in?" Alexa asked. She seemed to be rather hesitant in asking, but once the words left her mouth, she did not show a sign of regretting them.

Alex sat up properly in his bed and shook his head side to side in order to fix his hair of the bedhead state it was in, although that really only worsened it. "Come in," he said at last. Alexa paced herself into the room slowly and once she reached the foot of his bed, she stared down at it without sitting. "What is it that you need?" Alex asked.

The girl shook her head and refused to look up. "If I asked you a serious question, Alexander," she said, "would you answer honestly?"

Alex's eyes flickered nervously, unsure of how to respond. "I would certainly try my best to do so," he said.

Alexa finally decided to sit down, although she didn't take her eyes off her hands in her lap. "Alexander, when I walked into the music room earlier..." Alex's ears already started to burn at the knowledge of where the question was headed. "...what were you and Prince Miles doing?"

"You ask as if you had been blind when you walked in the room," Alex said in a tone more bitter than intended.

"I know what I saw," Alexa stressed. "But I need to know if... No, I need to know _why_ you were doing such a thing." She shifted all of her hair to one side of her neck and pressed her sharpened fingernails into the space between her collarbone and shoulder. Alex reached forward and pulled her hand away, getting her to look him straight in the eye. "Alexander..." Alexa whispered, tears poking at the surface of her eyes. "...do you love Prince Miles?"

Alex gulped and patted the back of her hand, too ashamed to say what he was thinking. "Alexa, before I answer your question," he whispered, "can you answer one of mine?" Alexa nodded slowly and gnawed at her lower lip quite roughly. "If I _did_ say yes, would you have enough malice in you to speak of it to anyone?"

Alexa shook her head profusely. "No, Alexander, I would not. The knowledge would be only for my ears to hear."

"Do you swear on your life?"

"By God's holy word in Heaven and on Earth, I swear."

Alex took a stuttering breath and pressed his forehead against the girl's shoulder. "Then yes. Yes, Alexa, I... I do love Prince Miles." He didn't raise his head, but he did hear Alexa let out a quiet sob, and as her body began to tremble, he could only wrap his arms around her tightly. "Please do not cry, Alexa. I understand I am made of sin, I know it, I know! But please, do not cry for it. Oh, please, Alexa."

Alexa wiped the tears from her cheeks and pressed a kiss to Alex's forehead. "I weep not out of belief that you are a sinner, Alexander," she clarified. "I cry only because I worry for you. I do not want to see any harm done to you for this. I promise you, I will never tell a soul neither dead nor living, but for as long as I live, I will _worry."_

"The queen should never discover it as long as you say nothing," Alex reassured her. "But I thank you greatly, for both your concern and your love."

Alexa held onto her friend and refused to let go for the life of her. "I do love you, Alexander," she whispered into his hair. "Promise me you'll keep yourself safe."

Alex nodded and buried his face in the soft fabric of Alexa's nightgown. "I love you too, Alexa," he replied. Alexa cupped her hands around Alex's face and gave him a look he wasn't sure how to decipher.

"Best of luck with you, my dear friend," she said. She rose from Alex's bed and walked back over to the door quite silently. "Goodnight, Alexander. May your dreams bring you great happiness."

Alex rested his head on his pillow again, and then, she was gone.

-

It soon turned out that preparing for the queen's trip took much more work than anyone had really thought. Despite the fact she wasn't leaving for another week or so, she made sure to order every servant in the castle to make all her travel preparations for her. Quite high maintenance, she was.

On the last Sunday before her departure, most if not all of the castle attended church, no matter if they truly wanted to or not. Alex, the excitable boy that he was, was nearly _ecstatic_ when he found that he could read a few passages from Miles's leather-bound Bible with not too much trouble at all. When the queen wasn't looking, as it is difficult to do so when your eyes are closed in prayer, Miles looked at Alex and smiled, feeling his heart warm. Neither boy paid attention to the sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows or the priest loudly praying in Latin. They simply let their fingers intertwine and refused to avert their eyes from one another.

"You're beautiful," Miles mouthed. Alex shook his head and suppressed a small giggle.

"Not as much as you," he whispered right back.

Two pews behind them, Alexa opened her eyes out of prayer and spotted the boys' smiles, fingers, focused eyes, _everything._ She couldn't help but smile for a short moment at their elongated touches, although her face soon fell as her gaze diminished completely.

-

Over the course of the next few days, Miles’s relationship with Alex only seemed to grow stronger. While the queen still stole Alex away here and there to help her with pre-travel duties, that didn’t mean Miles couldn’t see him. If anything, their times of separation only continued to make them grow stronger.

The day before the queen was due to leave, Miles found himself pacing around the rose garden alone. He hummed to himself to feel slightly less lonesome, but he couldn’t keep his mind occupied for very long. In the end, he plopped down by a young budding rose bush and picked at the brittle leaves, praying nobody would see him acting so pitiful through the glass doors. Soon enough, however, he was broken out of his gloomy shell as he heard the sound of someone banging on one of the doors.

“Oh, for God’s sake,” he muttered to himself as he rose to his feet again. Brushing away grass from his pant leg, he slowly made his way over to the doors until he saw who was making all the noise.

Miles sprinted across the remainder of the garden to reach him and tried to fling the door open, but Alex wouldn’t let him. _“The queen’s coming,”_ he mouthed at the prince. Then, like a small child would with the surface of a mirror, Alex huffed so that the vapor from his breath clung to the glass, forming a small cloud. Miles watched intently as Alex drew a small heart with his index finger, allowing a smile to take over his entire face. Alex turned his head as if he heard something, and when he looked back, he seemed only slightly sad. _“I love you,”_ he whispered. With a swift motion of his hand, the fog-drawn heart was gone, and then, so was he.

Miles tried his best not to let his lovestruck grin crack his face in half, but it was no use. He was in far too deep.

-

That night, Miles lay in bed alone yet again, missing his dear servant beyond repair. In a near-pathetic manner, he kicked off his sheets and bundled them up so that he could have something to hold onto. For the young prince, loneliness was only another factor that sprung insomnia, and he wasn’t looking forward to another sleepless night. However, he discovered he wouldn’t have to suffer through one, as he heard a small rap on the door. He didn’t even need to look up to know who it was.

“Come in, quickly,” Miles ushered. “Close the door.”

Alex practically glided over to Miles, his silhouette visible by the pale moonlight cast upon him through the large window that overlooked Miles’s bed. “May I sleep here tonight?” he asked once he reached the bed. “It’s rather cold in my chamber…”

“But of course,” Miles said, shifting his bunched up sheets so they covered him properly again. “I’ve missed you so, you know.”

“As have I,” said Alex, sliding into the large bed next to the prince. “I’m beginning to wonder if nighttime is the only time we may share together like this.”

“Not for long,” Miles reminded him. “My mother is leaving on her trip tomorrow just after dawn, and after then, we’ll have half a fortnight to ourselves. Well, I suppose the other castle residents shall still be here as well, but they shan’t bother us.” He stroked Alex’s cheek with his finger and in return, earned a pleased giggle from Alex’s lips.

Alex moved to bury himself in Miles’s chest, one ear pressed flat against his beating heart. “It’s like a song,” he said after a long silence between them.

“What is, dear Alex?”

“Your heart.” Alex tapped his fingers slowly on Miles’s hip with every drum-like beat of his heart. “Bum, bum, bum, bum…”

Miles stroked his fingers through the boy’s hair and smiled rather gracefully at him. “Do you think it’s sensible to not believe in God, but to still believe in blessings?”

Alex nodded and stared up at Miles with big eyes. “I believe so,” he agreed. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I have reason to believe that this world has blessed me with the gift of you,” Miles said. “I would never take back choosing you on the day of the servant draft. Never.” He pressed his lips to Alex’s temple and gave a quiet yawn once he pulled away.

“Nor would I,” Alex hummed. He held onto Miles securely and kissed his lips chastely before saying, “I’m falling asleep, my love…”

“Then sleep,” Miles whispered. “And I promise to be here when you wake.”

Alex’s last memory before passing out was the feeling of Miles’s large hands holding the small of his back safely.

-

In the morning, Alex woke to see Miles’s sun-illuminated face only inches away from his own. He blinked slowly and hid his face in the prince’s neck as he yawned, a small squeak escaping his throat in the process.

“Guten Morgen,” Miles greeted with a chuckle. “How are you feeling?”

“Still quite sleep-stricken,” Alex confessed. “But let us rise now, we must bid our farewells to the queen, yes?”

Miles smiled and kissed Alex sweetly in response. He allowed both of them to sit up on the bed and held an arm around Alex’s waist as they kissed, the brunet’s hand cupping his cheek softly. They continued kissing like this for a few minutes until Miles finally broke it, allowing Alex to gasp for air. “Let’s dress and prepare for the day,” he declared.

After dressing themselves (and sneaking not-so-subtle glances at one another’s unclothed chests), the two began their journey to the main castle doors, where servants were bustling about to get the queen’s carriage ready. On the front steps of the castle stood Her Majesty herself, with her petticoat puffed up around her waist like the feathers of a peacock and her hands behind her back.

“Your Majesty,” Miles called, cautiously stepping towards the queen. On first instinct, Alex was tempted to walk forth with him, but soon decided against it. While he waited for Miles to come back to him, he watched as the two Kanes spoke with each other.

“Miles,” the queen said, “I hope you slept well?”

“I did, thank you, Your Grace,” Miles responded. “And you as well?”

“Hm. Hardly.” The queen clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth. “While I am gone, I’m sure you’re aware of what you’re responsible of.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Emergency actions, war preparations, leading counterattacks…” He trailed off and sighed. “One would hope that none of that shall really be necessary, though.”

“I will pray for good fortune,” the queen yawned. “Don’t forget that Duchess Tinna is coming for a visit with you this Friday as well.”

“Of course,” Miles said with a slight frown. “I’ll see to it that the castle is to her liking.”

The carriage driver jogged up to the queen, bowed, then proceeded to whisper something in her ear. She looked around and, when she saw that the car was completely prepared, placed a single hand on Miles’s shoulder. “I shall see you again in seven days’ time. If something happens so that my return to the castle is delayed, I will write to you. Otherwise… goodbye, Miles.”

“Goodbye, Your Highness. And many happy returns,” Miles bid.

The carriage driver led the queen down the steps and helped her board inside the brougham. Miles watched as the man pulled the reigns on the horses, and then, the queen was transported away.

Alex walked by Miles’s side again and tickled his fingers with his own. “What now, my prince?” he asked.

“Now,” Miles said slowly, “we’re alone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyyyyyyyyy  
> TOMORROW IS MY LAST DAY OF SCHOOL ASDFHGLHK. AND I'M SEEING MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS ON FRIDAY. I'LL TRY TO WRITE AS MUCH AS I CAN BEFORE I GO TO THE CONCERT THOUGH<3<3


	11. XI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles and Alex get closer, Miles tells some stories in the rose garden, and Alex is absolutely clueless when it comes to some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI I'M ALIVE  
> so uh. this is like. three weeks overdue. oooops.  
> I just finished it this morning!!! Because!! I suck!!! hahahaha but it's here so stop yelling @ me pls
> 
> life update: MARINA DIAMANDIS IS AMAZING LIVE. summer is boring but relaxing in that way! life is good! yay!! AND MY URL IS NOW [MILESKANE](http://mileskane.tumblr.com) WITHOUT A HYPHEN!! I GOT THE URL HEHEHEEHEHE
> 
> more important fic-related notes at the bottom. coolio.

"Miles?"

"Yes, Alex?"

"What does this word say?" Alex stared at his storybook in frustration— note _his,_ as Miles gave it to him as a gift only a few hours after the queen's departure— and huffed quite dramatically. If he wasn't sprawled out stomach-down on Miles's bed, he would have stomped his foot for effect.

"Spell it out. Do it sound by sound," Miles instructed from where he sat at his desk, not moving a muscle.

"Pre- pred- Miles, I cannot tell if this 'C' makes a 'suh' or a 'kuh' sound! This is hopeless."

Miles himself was reading over something, although nothing in the realm of folklore and fables. His appointed speech writer had delivered to him the first draft of his coronation speech that morning, and if he was to please the queen before she returned home, then surely finishing the speech would be the way to do it. "Alex..." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before standing up with a tired smile. "I'm happy to help you, love."

Alex pointed to the difficult word in question and pouted up at the prince. "I don't... This is hopeless. _I_ am hopeless."

"Now, now, Alex. None of that," Miles hushed. "Follow along with me. Pre-"

"Pre..."

"-dica-"

"-dica..."

"-ment."

"-ment. Predicament!" Alex beamed at the word and sat up properly, only to wrap his arms tightly around Miles's torso. "Thank you so much," he mumbled into his chest. "I don't see where I would be without you."

Miles graciously smiled and hugged Alex back, pressing his nose into the top of the boy's head. "Whether you believe it or not, I would have to say the same of you."

Alex didn't say anything to that; he simply soaked up the warmth of their embrace. It seemed to him that no matter what he and Miles were doing, he always felt safe with him, and once he was in that safe state, there wasn't anything he wouldn't do.

"What occupies your mind now, Alex?" Miles asked, stroking his fingers through the servant's soft hair. "I know when you're busy thinking, you know."

"Nothing," Alex said with a smile. "Merely thoughts of how wonderful your affection is."

"My affection?"

"Yes."

Miles's lips pinched up into a smile and he sat in such a way so that he could pull Alex into his lap. "I'm quite fond of giving you affection," he said. "Mayhap even more than you appreciate receiving it."

"Is that so?" Alex asked, resting his head in the crook of Miles's neck. Miles answered with a quiet hum. He began pressing light kisses to the side of Alex's neck, trailing them down and up again until Alex had a hazy smile glued to his face. "That feels nice," Alex whispered, his fingers dancing on Miles's back. "Wonderful, actually."

Miles kissed up his neck, then over his jawline, and finally on his lips for a second before saying, "I believe I have to go bathe now. Bring along my bathrobe and slippers, please?"

Alex hopped to his feet and went over to Miles's wardrobe, immediately beginning his search for the prince's bathrobe. "I'll bring them down to the washroom once I find them," he said. "You can go on."

"All right," Miles smiled. "Thank you, my love."

Once Miles left, it took Alex a few minutes to find everything (bathrobe: pressed between two much thicker pieces of clothing; slippers: stuck underneath Miles's boots), but once he did, it took him approximately fifteen seconds to run down the corridor and reach the washroom door. Without bothering to knock, he walked right in, but froze immediately. Right in front of his eyes, Miles was sinking down into the tub, not a single piece of clothing on his body.

"I'm so sorry!" Alex exclaimed immediately, hugging the robe and slippers to his chest as he turned around the face the door. "I should have knocked before entering!"

Miles laughed once his body was completely submerged in the gradually rising water and shook his head. "Now, now, Alex. It's all right, no need to be so mortified! I'm not a ghost, you know."

Alex turned back around slowly and set the folded robe and slippers atop a small stool in the corner of the room. "I'm not supposed to see you– _anyone–_ in the nude, sir," he said quietly. His face was so red that one might think he had just stood on his head for an elongated period of time.

"Oh, hush now," Miles chuckled. "It's no big deal, Alex. There's nothing wrong with the human body in its natural state." He reached for the tub faucet– gold plated, two handles for two temperatures– and shut off the water once it filled the tub to a decent height. "Come here," he said, motioning for Alex to come closer. "Talk to me. Baths are terribly boring things if there's no talk."

"Talk about what?" Alex asked as he sat on the floor next to the tub.

"Anything. Just as we were in my bedchamber," Miles grinned. He fiddled with some of the bottles of different soaps and perfumes but didn't choose to actually open them yet.

"In your bedchamber we were _kissing,_ need I remind you," Alex laughed. "Ah... oh! I think I am getting better at reading! _Much_ better. It's so nice to be able to see words and know what they are... Thank you."

"You're welcome," Miles said happily. "It fills my heart with great joy to know you appreciate it." He raised his hand from the water and cupped Alex's cheek with it, causing the boy to laugh.

"You're bound to get me all wet if you continue like that," Alex said.

"Perhaps that's my goal," Miles smirked. He waited a moment, placed his hand back in the water, then said, "Get in."

"The _tub?"_

"Yes, the tub. Get in with me."

"Is that _allowed?"_

"By the queen, no," Miles said. "But Her Majesty isn't here to oversee it now, is she?"

Alex stared at the golden faucet before finally accepting the invitation. "Oh, all right," he sighed. "I suppose a moment or two couldn't hurt." He rose to his feet and pulled his shirt over his head, although he immediately began to feel quite self conscious. "Please, ah... could you maybe–"

"I won't look," Miles said, turning his head to the side. Alex hopped out of his trousers quickly and, although his face went bright red at it, shed his undergarments as well. He slid down into the water across from Miles and pulled his knees to his chest. Immediately, he felt as if the water was twice as hot as it really was.

"Qu-quite a nicely sized bath," he commented quietly. Miles turned his head back to look at him and grinned, nodding along.

"It is," he agreed. "I... I'm going to assume you didn't exactly have faucets made from gold back in your home village?"

"N-no, sir," Alex replied. "There was a small wooden basin behind our shack that we were also required to share with four other families. Water is also rather scarce there."

"Really?" Miles said in disbelief. "Is your village truly in so much poverty?"

"Most villages in the kingdom are," Alex confessed. "You would be quite surprised, really..."

Miles was rather silent for a few minutes, but what he thought about, Alex was unaware of. By the time he spoke again, Alex was already getting quite comfortable in the lukewarm water. "Would you let me wash your hair for you?"

Alex's eyes– which had been shut rather peacefully– shot open, causing him to make direct eye contact with Miles. "What?"

Miles picked up a small bottle that smelled of sweet herbs and rosewater and poured some of its liquid into the palm of his hand. "Turn around," he said. Alex did as he was told and closed his eyes again as Miles began massaging the soap into his scalp, forming a buildup of foamy bubbles on the top of his head.

"That's soothing," Alex hummed. "Thank you."

"Mhm..." Miles pressed a kiss to the nape of Alex's neck and smiled against his skin. "I feel as if you're just fond of _anything_ I do."

"Well," Alex said, "that wouldn't really be incorrect."

Miles swished his soap-covered hands around in the water, then cupped them together and fashioned them into a small water carrier. "Tilt your head back now," he instructed. Alex did just so and wrinkled his nose as Miles started rinsing his hair out for him, some of the water trickling down his forehead.

"You don't have to do this for me," Alex said. "I mean– what drives you to do these things for me when you aren't required to? If anything, _I_ must be the one to do them for _you."_

"I do them because I love you," Miles stated bluntly. "I want to care for you just as much as you care for me, if not more.

"O-oh," Alex said softly. As Miles finished working with Alex's hair, Alex turned back around to face him again. "I love you too," he said shyly. "I- I do. I love you!"

Miles bit his lower lip as another smile broke his face and he moved himself closer to Alex. "I know," he said quietly. "You don't even need to say it. I know."

Alex gulped as their knees pressed together and he asked, "D-do you want me to wash your hair now?"

"Just wait a moment," Miles said. "I'm in no rush today." With his eyes on Alex, he loosely wrapped his legs around him in order to move even closer. "Is this all right with you?"

"Yes," Alex said, nearly choking on his own breath in the process. "Yes, yes, it's fine."

Miles rested his head on one of Alex's raised knees, looking at him with large eyes. "Good," he whispered.

They each wrapped their arms around one another and stayed in that same calming position until long after the water started to go cold.

-

Sometime that night, after finishing off their evening meals, both boys escaped to the rose garden together. With Miles's arms holding Alex protectively on his lap, both of them huddled under a cherry tree to peacefully stargaze at the gradually darkening sky.

"Do you know that the stars have names?" Miles asked quietly, lips ghosting over Alex's ear.

"I knew that," Alex said. "I just don't know what they are."

"Well, even I'm not sure what they're all named," Miles said. "But I know a few."

Alex turned his head back to look at him and smiled. "Really? Go on, then! Amaze me, my good prince."

Miles scanned his eyes over the sky before pointing up at a cluster of them and saying, "Those few together are called the Plough. And together with the dimmer ones around it, it's all called Ursa Major. If you look at it a certain way, it resembles a bear."

Alex tilted his head until he could see the constellation properly, and after staring at it for a bit, he grinned. "It does!"

"I told you," Miles beamed, poking Alex's side.

"Miles, look!" Alex exclaimed. "The moon is full tonight!"

"Oh, we best be careful then," Miles teased. "You don't want to run into a werecreature."

"They don't exist," Alex said. "They're just folklore."

"Tell that to the head cook," Miles insisted. "There's a reason he carries himself with such a bad attitude, you know. Years ago, he was out scouting for some apples late at night when suddenly- /ah!/" Miles grabbed Alex's shoulders spontaneously, causing him to jump. "His whole leg was completely bitten off by a wolf. Except it was only /half/ wolf. Had the eyes and feet of a man!"

"But the head cook has both of his legs," Alex pointed out.

"One of them is /wooden/," Miles said in a low voice.

"You're lying," Alex said. "How could someone be a man and a wolf?!"

"I don't know," Miles said. "That's why you have to be careful."

Frustrated, Alex picked at a few threads on the hem of his shirt and frowned. "Well, in my opinion, he rightfully deserved getting his leg bitten off," he muttered.

"I suppose he did," Miles said quietly, masking a laugh with the back of his hand. He turned his attention back to the sky and sighed against Alex's shoulder, beginning to lose himself in thought.

"What crosses your mind now?" Alex asked knowingly.

"Just thinking of a story I know," Miles replied.

"What story?"

Miles shifted Alex in his lap so that he was sitting sideways, legs draping off Miles thigh comfortably. "When I was younger," he began, "one of the maids who took care of me would tuck me into my bed at night, but I refused to sleep before she told me a story. She told the same story every night for years until I deemed myself too old for bedtime tales.

"She would hold me on her lap and say, 'Now, Miles, have you ever heard the story of the sun and the moon? It's the truest love story of all time.' And I would shake my head even though I _had_ heard it, and she'd just smile for the longest time. Then, finally, she'd say, 'The sun and the moon are very in love. They greet each other when the sun wakes up and before he falls asleep. The sun sends the moon gifts whenever he can, and the moon thanks him by glowing brightly just for him. However, they can only ever see each other for a few moments each day, at sunrise and sundown. Do you know why that is?' And once again, I'd shake my head no." He paused and looked at Alex for a moment, whom simply stared up at him with widened eyes. "Do _you_ know why, Alex?"

"N-no, Miles. I don't. Why is that so?"

"The sun loves the moon so much that he lets himself die every night just to let her breathe. The reason they can't be together is because the Earth always gets in the middle of them. People get in the way. And people get scared if they see the sun and the moon together." Miles sighed and simply held Alex closer to his chest.

"Miles?"

"Yes, Alex?"

"What ever happened to the maid who told you that story?"

"She died," Miles said. "When I was seven years old, she fell ill to an unknown illness and died. She loved me more than my mother ever could."

Alex held his breath and stared down at his hands, wringing them together again and again. "Oh," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right," Miles said with a shrug. "She was treated miserably here. I hope that in whatever afterlife exists, she is happy."

Alex buried his face in the space between Miles's neck and shoulder and inhaled deeply, a mixture of spices and flowers greeting his senses immediately. They both knew he could easily sit like that until he fell asleep, so instead, Miles poked him in the rib lightly. "Do you wish to head back to my chamber?" he asked. Alex merely nodded before rising to his feet, and as they both exited the garden, they locked their hands between them.

During the walk to Miles's bedchamber, they broke their hands apart as they passed a couple men from the castle staff. In loud booming voices laced with hearty chuckles, they talked of things that made no real sense to Alex.

"...No, no, listen! She sounded like a _feral cat._ It was absolutely the most ridiculous thing I've ever experienced."

"That's what happens when you get into bed with a random strumpet, lad. They're not right in the head."

"I suppose not, but at least she was right in the body!"

Alex turned his head back as the men's laughter howled down the hallway long after the passed him, and he did his best to try and understand the conversation he just overheard. Once Miles opened the door to his bedchamber, Alex immediately asked the first thing on his mind.

"Miles, what is a is a 'strumpet'?"

Miles raised an eyebrow and stared at Alex before saying, "It's another word for trollop."

Alex silently sat at the foot of Miles's bed and picked at threads on his clothes for a few moments more until he confessed, "I do not know what that is either."

"Ah..." Miles paced the floor of his room and coughed as he stopped to look at his mirror reflection. "It's a woman– usually– who gets paid money or material possessions for having intercourse with someone."

Alex furrowed his eyebrows together and huffed in frustration, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm sorry, in-intercourse? I don't... I, um..."

"Sex, Alex," Miles clarified. "Please do tell me you know what 'sex' means."

Silence.

"Oh," Miles said, turning around. "Oh, my. You don't, do you?"

"I have heard the word," Alex said. "Usually associated with... nudity. And sin. But as far as anything else, I'm unaware of it."

Miles exhaled loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose as he approached Alex. "I suppose it's my duty to tell you, then," he said, sitting down. "You see, Alex, when a man and a woman want a child, they... _join bodies,_ per se, and then the woman becomes pregnant. But–"

"So men pay women to have children?" Alex asked. "I don't understand who would do such a thing."

"–not necessarily. Sometimes, people merely do it because... well, it brings feelings of pleasure, really. Sometimes children are just the price to pay for doing that pleasurable act," Miles explained. "But, you see, it doesn't always have to be a man and a woman. I mean, it does in order to have a child, but... _pleasurable_ sex doesn't."

Alex's eyes widened a bit and he gasped quietly. "Does that mean men like you and I could? N-not that I'm suggesting we do it! But..."

"Yes," Miles stated. "Men like you and I could indeed do it. _That_ is what religion fears. People do not like relationships such as ours– they _condemn_ them– because they strictly think sex should be only between a man and a woman. They fear us because we could do such a thing."

Alex paused for a moment, then merely shrugged. "So what if they fear us? It wouldn't be our fault that they choose to live their lives afraid of everything."

Miles nodded and draped an arm around Alex's torso, pulling him close. "You're exactly right," he agreed. "But as long as they continue preaching that love _is_ fear, we're technically abiding by their teachings, no?"

Alex smiled and kissed Miles's cheek, the short stubbly hairs from a lack of shaving for around a week tickling his lips and causing him to giggle. "Miles..." he said quietly. "...could you show me how it works?"

"What?"

"Uh– s-sex. You... I... Maybe we could..." Alex hid his face in his hands and shook his head.

"Alex," Miles said gently, "it's also a very... _emotional_ thing at the same time."

"All right."

"And I wouldn't want to accidentally hurt you."

"I would be fine."

"Alex, I..." Miles paused and gnawed on his bottom lip. "Are you sure you'd want that?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I trust you. I _love_ you."

Miles nodded and kissed his temple sweetly, then took both of his hands in his own. "I love you too, Alex," he said. "Just trust me when I say we could try later."

"Like tomorrow?"

"Possibly," Miles said. "I'll see, all right?"

"All right," Alex yawned. "Are you tired quite yet?"

"I am, yes," Miles said. "Stay with me tonight?"

"Of course," Alex smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no faucets did not actually exist until like... the 17th/18th century or something idk  
> there's a LOT of historical inaccuracies in this  
> but its fiction and also milex and its not supposed to make fuckin sense anyways so just drink your apple juice and dont yell @ me ok?? cool!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> so yeah thanks for reading bros i love u all!!!!!


	12. XII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> True love's kiss wakes a sleeping servant. Then there's just fluff.
> 
> And sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can never keep promises I make it's been almost FIVE WEEKS since I updated I'm so fucking sorry I'm so sorry oh my god I'm so sorry please please don't hate me I love you guys so much I really do
> 
> anyways here's this. rating changed for this chapter.

Miles awoke the next morning to the feeling of thin arms wrapped around him tightly. Practically basking in the sweat being formed from two sources of body heat, he had to peel Alex’s arms off of him so that he could shift to a sideways position, but lightly dropped the boy’s arm back onto him soon afterward.

In the rare event that Miles could watch Alex sleep, it never failed to make him smile. While awake, Alex was an eager boy with a laugh to match, but the light in his eyes always seemed dimmer than a seemingly normal person’s and his anxious ticks were difficult to overlook at times. Yet,  when his eyes were closed and his breathing steadied, he seemed truly peaceful. Miles would be lying if he said it wasn’t his favorite sight in the whole world.

As Alex stirred a bit in his sleep, Miles pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead and fluffed his messy hair up a bit. The servant boy opened his mouth to yawn, but all that came out was a small squeaking sound. He shifted around a bit more, and for a moment, Miles was afraid he’d disturbed his slumber. However, as soon as he settled down again, he began to speak.

“Miles…” he whined. “Miles, where… are you…”

“I’m right here, love,” the prince whispered.

“Mmn… where… are… you..?” Alex tossed around a bit more and his fingers fastened around the sheets as he groaned. It was then that Miles realized Alex was having a nightmare.

“Alex. Alex. _Alexander,”_ Miles stressed. “Wake up, come along now… up, up, up…” He patted Alex’s cheek a few times, but still, Alex would not wake from his dream. Finally, as a last resort, Miles pressed his lips to Alex’s and soon enough, the brunet’s eyes snapped open.

“Miles…” he said, blinking in a rather disoriented manner. “Miles, you’re here! You’re here… I had the most awful dream.”

“What happened?” Miles questioned.

“Oh, Miles… I love you, but I can’t bring myself to relive it again.” Alex wiped the sweat from his brow and breathed slowly as he curled into the prince’s chest. On instinct, Miles held Alex in his arms, sliding one hand under the brown head of hair.

“Well, whatever it was, it isn’t real,” Miles said. “You’re safe, and I am right here with you. And that’s all that matters.”

“I love you,” Alex said, looking up at Miles.

“I know,” Miles smiled. “I love you too.”

Alex went silent for a few minutes, but it was obvious he was thinking about something. “Miles,” he whispered, “do you remember what we spoke of last night?”

“I do.”

“And… ha-have you thought about it yet? You don’t have to! I-I just wanted to- to know…”

Miles pecked Alex’s cheek and folded their fingers together with a quiet laugh. “I’ve thought about it, yes,” he admitted. “And I’ve come to a decision.”

“I-I- have you?” Alex stammered.

“Indeed, I have. Alex, while I don’t yet feel that either of us are quite ready for all that sex entails…” Miles drew out the last syllable with his tongue as he pondered how to phrase his thoughts properly. “…I may be able to do _something_ in the sexual realm for you.”

“W-What do you mean?” Alex questioned.

“Alex, do you trust me?”

“Yes, of course I trust you. What are you doing…?”

“Do I have your permission to pleasure you?” Miles asked, pupils dilating.

Alex nodded with no hesitation and smiled– _grinned,_ even– in anticipation.

The act itself was nothing special, if you were an outsider accustomed to the overall idea of sex. But to Alex– this innocent peasant-turned-lover with as much experience as a pile of stones– it was _world-changing._ For the first time in his life, he was being touched in places _he_ had never even touched before, in ways he had never dreamt of. Miles’s lips never once strayed from Alex’s as he used his hand to bring the boy pleasure; one smooth, young, long-fingered hand was all it took to make Alex writhe and cry out words he’d never used before.

When it was all said and done, Miles carelessly used his bedsheets to clean up the small mess Alex had made. Alex clung to Miles’s side and refused to let go, but Miles couldn’t find the will to care.

“I love you,” Alex said. “I love you, I love you, I love you, Miles.”

Miles showered the boy in a decadent amount of kisses, not stopping until Alex was giggling far too much to breathe. “You’re beautiful,” he said, moving the short mess of brown hair out of Alex’s eyes.

“I do wish you’d quit that,” Alex pouted. “I’m not nearly as beautiful as you make it seem I am.”

“Oh, but you _are,”_ Miles insisted. “You’re beyond beautiful, my love.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“No?”

“No.”

“Do you really think I, Prince Miles Kane, soon-to-be _king,_ would waste my time on a hideous person? That I would ever fall in love with someone less than _astounding?_ I don’t mean to sound materialistic, darling, but that’s just the truth.”

“I- no, I don’t think so…”

“Exactly,” Miles hummed. “I want only the best in my life and that is exactly what you are. The best.”

“Am I?”

“You are.” Miles offered one last kiss before hopping to his feet, his hands clapping together by default. “Come along, Alexander, we don’t have much to do today but I don’t believe anyone would find it suitable for us to stay cooped up in this bedchamber all the while. Besides…” He caught Alex’s gaze in his mirror reflection and smiled. “Suddenly, I have something quite special planned for us this eve.”

Alex’s heart beat so fast at those words that it became nearly impossible for him to rise to his feet.

-

That night, Alex wasn’t exactly sure where Miles had disappeared to, but he was suddenly being distracted by Alexa, who just continued talking and talking. Her mouth moved so fast that Alex struggled to keep up with all she was saying.

 _“Alexa,”_ he finally had to interrupt, quite guiltily at that. “I’m terribly sorry to cut you off, but I need to know where Prince Miles is.”

“I haven’t a clue,” she chimed. Suddenly, she stopped moving so much and glanced at the tall clock that stood at the end of the hallway, casting looming shadows over the candlelit halls. “Oh. Yes, I do, actually. He must be in his bedchamber.”

“Really?”

“I’m positive in that, yes.”

“I– all right. Thank you.”

Alex wasn’t sure how or why Alexa became suddenly aware of Miles’s whereabouts, but he wouldn’t complain of it. Instead, he wordlessly ventured across the castle, a bit of a skip in his step.

The door to Miles’s room was closed when Alex approached it, but he knew all he needed to do was knock.

“Who’s there?” Miles called from inside.

“It’s Alex.”

“Oh! Um! One moment, please!”

Alex heard a bit of bustling around on the other side of the door until at last, Miles’s familiar face popped out.

“Hello, love,” he said. “I have a bit of a surprise for you.”

“What might that surprise be?” Alex inquired.

“Come and see for yourself.”

As Alex entered the room, he realized it was darker than usual, yet at the same time, so much brighter. None of the lanterns were lit, but instead, what seemed to be _hundreds_ of candles were set up around the room, looking as if they were all floating in midair.

 _“Miles,”_ Alex gasped. “How did you ever manage to do all this?”

“I had a little bit of help,” the prince stated.

“From who– _Alexa,”_ Alex exclaimed quietly. “My- my God, Miles, it’s beautiful.”

“Is it really?” Miles asked. “I wouldn’t know. I’m a bit too distracted right now by another ridiculously lovely sight.”

“Miles, is this–”

“–where I’m going to make love to you? Why yes, Alex, it is.”

Alex barely hard time to blush before suddenly, the door was locked and he found himself on the bed, perfectly fitted underneath Miles’s body like a puzzle.

The remainder of the night was unexplainable. From the warm oil between his thighs to the way Miles left mark upon mark on his chest, he was an absolute mess. He had never heard himself produce such noises, never experienced such pleasure as this.

When he reached the end– the poor boy really couldn’t last all that long– he let out a loud cry, muffled in the space where Miles’s neck and shoulder met. He bit down hard to keep himself quiet, and this notion soon brought Miles to his end as well. Alex was nearly in tears at all the feelings he felt race through his body.

Once Miles’s body separated from his, Alex let out a soft sob into his hands, having to bite his quivering lip in order to stay quiet.

“Alex? Oh God, what’s the matter? Have I hurt you? Oh, I have, haven’t I?!”

“No! Not at all,” Alex said through his tears, rubbing his fingers over his already reddened eyes. “I just can’t believe how absolutely in love with you I am.”

Miles cradled Alex in his arms, not bothered at all by the sticky mess between them. “I love you too,” he whispered. “I could never anyone more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW wtf was that?? idk!!!! hahaha
> 
> also to people wondering why i didnt do smutty smut for the sex scenes, i just didn't feel like it'd be an appropriate fit to the style of this fic. however, if you want smut, feel free to browse through my other stories if you haven't before.
> 
> i also made an [ask.fm,](http://ask.fm/doujinbag) so if you have one, please please send me questions!! I'm always bored as fuck. i love you guys so much, thank you for your undying patience!!!! <3


	13. XIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex is completely lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't think of a better summary than that.
> 
> but WHATTT? I'M UPDATING ON TIME?? UNHEARD OF!! HOLY SHIT!!
> 
> It's a bit of a shorter chapter, but not too short, I'd hope.

Alex was obsessed.

Now, he was never forceful, never spoiled, but _God,_ Miles would be damned to say he didn’t enjoy watching Alex beg nearly every hour of the day for more intimacy.

Maybe it was unhealthy, maybe it wasn’t, but Miles didn’t care either way. The prince enjoyed spending time with Alex in any form, and if intimacy was one of those forms, who would he be to say he didn’t enjoy it?

During one particularly busy afternoon, Alex found himself hiding from the rest of the castle staff in favor of dabbling in the washroom to secretly press his fingers into the marks across the top of his chest. Miles was very particular with the locations of his lovemarks, most likely for both of their safety. Alex didn’t mind it; keeping the secret made it feel all the more exciting.

However, he couldn’t hide himself away forever, and his secretive touching was soon interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

“Alexander!” came Alexa’s voice from the other side. “Please come out already, we need your help!”

Alex made sure the strings at the collar of his shirt were fastened before opening the door and stepping out of the room. He stared a couple of inches down at Alexa, rocking himself back and forth on his feet. “What is it that’s needed of me, Alexa?” he asked, complete nonchalance in his voice.

“We need assistance in the kitchen,” she sighed. “And Prince Miles has been searching high and low for you all about the castle. I heard him mention something about needing to speak with you. It must be terribly important.”

Alex brought his hands to his face to cover the glow in his cheeks, but nothing could strip away his chapped smile. Alexa simply rolled her eyes and tugged him along by his arm, seemingly the only way to bring him to the kitchen.

As they entered the kitchen quarters, Alex immediately noticed that it seemed everyone was in preparation for some sort of celebration. Absolutely puzzled, he turned to Alexa and raised an eyebrow at her.

“Her Majesty the queen surely isn’t coming home yet, is she?” he asked, biting his nervous lip.

“No, no, she doesn’t return until next week,” Alexa replied.

“Then what is this all for?”

“I couldn’t be sure,” Alexa said. “If you can find His Royalty, he may be able to tell you.”

“Where is he?”

“I do not know, Alexander. Please focus on this work right now. You’re not exempt from your duties.”

Alex groaned quietly but began getting to work, taking to chopping up various fruits.

Alex was really getting quite bored of slicing strawberries (and his fingertips were certainly not thanking him for accidentally nicking them repeatedly with the knife), but he was more than grateful for Alexa’s presence. Her lighthearted jokes and deep laugh made the time go a bit faster. He only wished he knew where Miles was.

What felt like hours later, Alex finally heard exactly what he’d been waiting on all day– Miles’s voice calling for him.

“Where’s Alexander?” Miles asked aloud upon entering the kitchen. Immediately, Alex’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor at the sight of his lover. Completely donned in an official uniform and a large robe that must have once belonged to his father, Miles looked like nothing if not king. The only thing missing was a golden crown atop his head.

As one of the chefs motioned to where Alex stood, Miles’s face shifted into an expression that was not exactly panicked, although not relaxed either. Before Alex could even smile at him, Miles was swiftly pulling him out of the room by his elbow and he refused to let go until they reached an empty corridor.

“Miles, what’s–”

“Where have you _been?”_ Miles whispered hastily, although no one else was around to hear.

“I-I’ve been hiding,” Alex admitted. “I’m sorry! I’ve been so distracted lately, Miles…”

“Please do me favor and snap out of this little haze,” Miles said, never once breaking eye contact. “You know I let you come and go as you please, but Alex, _not on this day._ Understood?”

Alex was a bit taken aback by Miles’s words. Never once had Miles spoken to him in such a distressed manner, and to be quite honest, it frightened him a bit. “I’m- I’m sorry, my prince,” he said quietly. “It shan’t happen again…”

Miles’s expression softened upon seeing Alex’s face fall, so he placed two gentle fingers under Alex’s chin and brought him to look up again, brown doe eyes glimmering in the dim lighting. “I didn’t mean to alarm you,” he apologized. “I’m just very stressed today, Alex. I never meant to scare you.”

Alex nodded shyly and closed his eyes, rubbing his face against Miles’s hand softly. “I love you, Miles,” he said. “I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise.”

“I love you too,” Miles smiled. “So very much.”

“What’s happening today, Miles?” Alex questioned. “You never spoke of anything.”

“I’ve become so occupied with _you_ recently that I forgot to mention it,” the taller boy replied with a laugh. “But… I truly have been trying to find you all day in hopes of explaining. You see, my–”

_“Prince Miles!”_

Miles cringed at the sudden interruption and looked over his shoulder to shout down the hallway, “I’ll come in moment!” However, he could not even begin to finish his sentence, as once again, he was rudely interrupted by a loud bellow. “By and by, I come!” Miles yelled. “Forgive me, my love, but the head chef is bound to have my head if I don’t go to him now. I’ll finish my thought in a few moments, all right?”

“All right,” Alex agreed. "I’ll most likely wander about.”

“Don’t go too far,” Miles teased. With a swift peck to Alex’s cheek, he soon dashed down the hall again in order to answer to his call.

Alex took to walking around the rose garden, losing track of all time as he examined the fresh scent of each newly bloomed bud. Here, he felt comforted even despite the lack of Miles’s presence.

Somewhere along the line, Alex fell asleep by one of the taller bushes, blades of green grass tickling his cheek as he rested upon it. His dreams were blurry, but they were a mix of both sensible and non-sensible things. He wasn’t sure why dream-Miles was kissing a brunette he had never seen before, but as he woke up, he forgot the dream completely.

After brushing loose grass off of himself and rising to his feet, he made his way back inside, rubbing his hands over his eyes to wake himself fully.

The castle seemed to have a different atmosphere to it as he wandered the halls in search of _somebody._ It was much quieter than it had been earlier, although definitely much brighter as well. There was not a lantern nor candle in sight that wasn’t lit, and Alex could only assume that the seemingly important event had already begun to take place.

As he approached one of the washrooms, he heard a woman’s voice on the other side, although he did not recognize it. Soon enough, the door swung open and a petite brunette walked out, followed by Alexa.

“Thank you for fixing my hair for me, dearest Alison,” the woman said.

 _“Alexa,”_ Alexa corrected under her breath, but the other did not seem to care very much.

The woman was dressed in a long white gown embellished with a dazzling row of emeralds across the waist and collar, and her long green robe certainly matched the gems. She was obviously some form of royalty, but Alex had never seen the dame in his entire life.

“Pardon me,” he said anxiously, “but I don’t believe I’m familiar with who you are.”

The woman looked almost offended at this statement and took one step towards Alex, and despite the fact she was inches shorter than him, she felt so much taller. “Why, I’m Duchess Tinna,” she answered in near disbelief. “I’m legally engaged to wed Prince Kane following his coronation.”


	14. XIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex absolutely hates Tinna.
> 
> ...And he's not the only one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOOK!! ANOTHER ON-TIME CHAPTER!!! I'M SO PROUD OF ME!!  
> I gotta tell you guys, I'm starting school a week from Wednesday. (August 19). I'm gonna be a sophomore... [dreadful music]  
> Also, a week from today is Humbug's sixth birthday!!! Woowww!!! My baby's growing up fast :')
> 
> Gotta put another big disclaimer here. **I do not actually hate Tinna Bergs in any way, shape, or form.** I think she's an absolutely lovely person and I'm not trying to demonize her in real life. I just had to have somebody be the bad guy. :(
> 
> Anyways, here's gross angst.

Not even ten minutes had passed since Alex discovered the news of Miles’s engagement, and yet, he was already beyond miserable, puffy eyes matching his puffy cheeks and chapped lips peeled and bleeding.

Immediately after Duchess Tinna had told Alex about her legal engagement to Miles, Alex had excused himself quietly and raced to his chamber faster than Alexa could call for him. Now, after violently flinging himself onto his bedsheets, he could not find the strength in him to stop crying, despite the sharpening in his chest that begged for a rest. He thrashed and convulsed in his sheets, threw the shabby linen to the floor, and beat at the cold bed with his fists. Tearing his lips to shreds with his teeth was the only way he could keep from screaming.

He didn’t wish to act out like this; throwing tantrums was for children whose parents wouldn’t allow them to eat the last piece of rye after supper. He was not a child, he knew, and he was not complaining about bread.

But he was indeed heartbroken, and nothing that anybody gave him could fix that.

He did not stop throwing a fit until an hour later, and by then, all he could do was sob himself dry. As he sat on the edge of his bed, head in his hands, he whimpered quietly and whispered painful truths to himself.

“I am a fool,” he cried silently. “I fell for the prince’s tricks like only a fool would. I am weak.”

He spent the rest of the night shut away in his chamber, unable to bring himself to look at anyone else. Perhaps this had been the scheme from the beginning, he told himself. Perhaps it had been the plan all along to lead him on and break his heart in the cruelest of ways.

Perhaps Miles’s entire kind persona was a lie.

As the night drew to a close, Alex could hear the loud laughter of Miles and his wife-to-be echo off the castle walls, and he wanted to vomit. He had no more energy to continue crying, however, and so he merely huddled up on his bed, back pressed against the wall, and dug his fingers into his bruised chest. If he concentrated hard enough, it felt as if Miles was still biting him, still telling him he was beautiful.

But only fools depended on such fantasies.

Soon enough, Alexa came rushing into Alex’s chamber, and she only needed to take one look at him to know exactly what he was thinking.

“Alexander,” she whispered sadly, “for how long have you been crying?”

“How long has it been since you last saw me?”

“Nearly four hours.”

“Well, that’s your answer as well.”

Without further invitation, Alexa crossed the floor and moved next to Alex on his bed. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and he immediately started to cry again, his entire body shaking violently.

“He lied to me, Alexa,” he wept. “Miles _lied_ to me. He doesn’t love me. He doesn’t! He doesn’t!”

Alexa hummed sadly as she kissed Alex’s cheek, doing all she could to try and comfort him. By now, it was no secret that she had fallen for the servant boy as well, and it broke her own heart to see him so torn apart. She quietly cursed the prince under her breath for ever taking such a lovely boy for granted.

“He never mentioned his engagement? Ever?” she asked.

“No, _never,”_ Alex sobbed. “He must not think I’m important enough to know…”

“Of course you are, don’t speak such nonsense,” Alexa scolded. “Mayhap it’s only but a misunderstanding? Speak with him come morning and I’m sure it shall all be sorted out.”

“Do you really believe so?” Alex asked, sniffling and wiping away his tears.

“I really do,” she comforted. “Now, come on, Alexander. Let’s get you some rest and fix this tomorrow.” The brunette moved to drape the sheets over Alex’s quivering body and pressed her lips to his forehead. As she stood up to leave, Alex was quick to stop her.

“Alexa,” he called. “Thank you. For… being such a dear friend to me. You’ve made all of this so much easier.”

Alexa simply stared at him, tapping her fingertips on the chamber door, and smiled happily. “You’re welcome,” she whispered.

Alex slept soundly that night, although he had no dreams to accompany his slumber.

-

The next morning, things only seemed to be even worse.

Initially, Alex had planned on going directly to Miles’s bedchamber to talk to him, but that plan was quickly thrown away as he watched the duchess exit the room quietly, a thin silk robe of Miles’s draping off her shoulders. She did not seem to care– or perhaps she did not notice at all– as one of her bare breasts fell free from the robe, accidentally offering Alex a sight he wished to never see.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the torture only continued at breakfast. Firstly, Tinna found apparent joy in ordering around Alexa as her own personal servant, leaving Alex all alone as he picked at his dry bread in despair. Eventually, when Alexa could finally join Alex at their small table, he could vaguely see the red mark of a handprint on her cheek, as if she had been viciously slapped by the duchess for no real reason.

In the end, the real icing on the cake was seeing the Royal Brat herself gnaw on Miles’s grapes, only to spit them out in disgust moments later.

Those should have been Alex’s.

Alex couldn’t bear to torture himself any longer, and soon after finishing his breakfast, he ran down the hall straight into the king’s library. He went right over to one of the chairs and sat down, clutching a decorative pillow to his chest as he rocked himself back and forth.

“This isn’t real, I’m still dreaming. This isn’t real, I’m still dreaming. This isn’t real. It isn’t happening. I’m dreaming, I’m dreaming, I’m having a terrible nightmare and I need to wake up soon… I’m going to wake up. Now! Now! _Now!”_

He had been crying and pleading to himself so loudly that he didn’t even hear the library door open and close, nor did he hear anyone walk in.

When he raised his head and saw Miles, he nearly fell out of the chair.

“Mi-Miles!” he gasped, jumping to his feet and throwing the pillow down. “I’m sorry. I know I didn’t ask for permission. I’m- I’m going to leave now.”

“Nonsense!” Miles said. “Alex, please– please stop being so jumpy, I really need to speak with you…”

“About what? There’s nothing to chat about. I’ll make it easy on you and get out of your hair now.”

 _“Alex,”_ Miles stressed. “I know why you’re avoiding me.”

“Oh, do you?” Alex challenged. “Forgive me, _Your Highness,_ but I assumed you were much too occupied with that _wife_ of yours to notice me.”

Miles blocked the library door with his body and stared Alex in the eye, completely unwilling to let him get past. “That’s exactly what we need to talk about, so I suggest you take a seat, as this may be a while.”

Alex’s defensive persona deflated right then and, defeated, he walked back to the chair and sat down, clutching onto the pillow yet again. He watched as Miles sat down across from him, although he no longer felt comforted by his presence. Right now, the prince felt like nothing more than a stranger to him.

A stranger who had caused him heartbreak, anyways.

“Alex, now I need you to listen to me–”

“Why should I?” Alex immediately spat. “What reason do I have to listen to you other than the threat of execution?”

“Alex– Alex, I would _never_ harm you.”

“You already have.”

Miles looked rather taken aback by Alex’s venom-laced words, but he could not even open his mouth before Alex began pouring his heart out.

“Miles, for _God’s_ sake, I love you. No, scratch that out– it’s more than love. Every day since you first kissed me, from the moment I wake up until I fall away to stardust and dreams again, I feel myself on fire. I can feel you burning in my veins, tangled in my spine, wrapped up in every inch of my existence. You are the force that drives me to get out of bed upon each solemn sunrise. You are the very breath in my lungs.” Alex seemed to be drowning in his own words as he closed his eyes, everything he ever wished to tell Miles suddenly leaving his mouth at once like a broken floodgate. “And now– now. Now that _she’s_ here, with no prior warning or way to prepare me for this sudden news, that breath is gone. My body has shut down and the lanterns inside my bones have been blown out. My heart is shattered in the worst of ways because of _your_ mistake, Miles. _You_ are the one who never told me that you’re getting married. _You_ are the one who let me fall in love with you with no warning of any dreadful repercussions.

“I’ve seen you shoot targets to smithereens with arrows, fence a man to the ground, break stones in half with your bare hands. But never– _never–_ had I thought you could be so cruel as to break my heart. And that, Miles, _that_ is why I want to avoid you. I would rather have my throat slit than suffer through one more moment of this.”

The silence that followed Alex’s words was perhaps the most painful silence either of them had ever endured. Alex felt the throbbing in his chest grow into a dull stabbing sensation, and Miles was left absolutely speechless.

“I’ve broken your trust,” Miles said slowly. “And your heart.”

“Exactly.”

“I can never expect you to forgive me,” he said sadly. “But… I can ask you to.”

Alex looked away from the prince, trying his best to hide the tears in his eyes. “You can, yes,” he whispered. “But I won’t.”

“Alex… Alex, I love you. From the very minute I first laid eyes on you, I was caught under your trance. I forgot about everyone else. All that mattered was you.” Miles stopped to wipe tears from his hazel eyes and he continued, “I don’t want her to be here. She only is under our parents’ orders. Before either of us were born, the marriage has been arranged. I’m about as fond of her as you are. She is unkind and extremely demanding. Last night, I insisted she sleep in the queen’s chamber, but she refused. We did _not_ do anything intimate, and halfway through the night, I moved to sleep on the floor. I attempted to leave and go to you, but she would not leave me alone.” He reached forward and placed his hand on top of Alex’s, and surprisingly, he didn’t pull away. “I love you so much, Alex. If I could, I would marry you. Run from this life I never asked for and spend the rest of forever with you. When it comes down to it, I only want you. More than anything else this universe could offer me.”

Alex immediately burst into tears all over again and flung himself at Miles, grasping onto him for dear life. “Do- do you promise that?”

“I swear on all that is good and true, Alex. I love you.”

And so, Alex forgave him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended that weird it sounds like it could be the end of the story but it's NOT


	15. XV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tinna leaves, but another obstacle-producing woman makes her return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHAHAA MY BIRTHDAY IS IN LESS THAN HALF AN HOUR NICE!!!!
> 
> quick points: 1.) If you have not yet read the smutty sideshot that takes place between chapter 14 and this chapter, [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4905250) it is. although the smut itself is not very important for the plot, a lot of other things said towards the end of it are. if you're not one for smut, you can skip to the bottom part.  
>  2.) Alex's hair is growing out now!!! it looks like [this.](https://45.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0zuvj3oxs1r9e2v8o1_500.gif) (one of my fave hairstyles for him tbh)
> 
> really huge shoutout to my lovely Deanna ([tumblr](http://prettyvisitorsinthebakery.tumblr.com) / [ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/doodlestrudel/pseuds/doodlestrudel)) for keeping my brain full of milex and inspiration this past month. writing has been getting a bit difficult for me, but i'm falling back into the ease of things. this chapter wouldn't be here today without her!!
> 
> i think that's it. my birthday is now 20 minutes away as i type this so IM GONNA GO DICK AROUND ON TUMBLR WHILE Y'ALL READ THIS MAYBE. THANK U AND BYE!!

The following day, Alex buzzed with all the energy of a honeybee as he watched the other servants pack Tinna's things into her carriage. Although he knew it was vain to celebrate her departure, he couldn't find the whim in him to care. Miles was his, and as long as that stood true, he couldn't care for what happened to the rest of the world.

As Tinna exited the castle shortly after the morning meal, Alex stood by and grimaced at the sight of her bidding Miles goodbye. He turned to Alexa as the duchess placed her lips on Miles's cheek, as he could not bear the stomach-twisting sight of it. However, Alexa's profile was not a very pretty sight either; across her cheek was a rather large, menacing red mark that could have only been formed by a hand. From the pained expression on Alexa's face, it seemed obvious that it was a rather fresh mark as well.

"Are you all right?" Alex whispered to her after tapping her wrist to get her attention.

Alexa didn't move her head as she spoke, nor did she blink. She simply kept her eyes fixed on the two royals forty meters away and said, "As long as that devil of a woman never shows her face around this castle again, then yes, I shall be all right."

Alex couldn't find a single way to disagree.

Both servants watched as Tinna's carriage set off, and continued to stare it down until long after it disappeared past the horizon. Alex did not even notice that everyone else had already returned inside the castle until he felt a hand slip into his own. Just from the simple feel of it, he knew it to be Miles's.

"When shall she return?" Alex questioned, his voice soft and cautious.

"Two months after my coronation," Miles replied, an ill expression on his face. "That is when she is... arranged to become my queen, I suppose."

Alex swore he could hear Alexa make a sickened noise as she turned her back and reentered the castle. It seemed that she despised the duchess more than anyone else; whatever reasoning may have been behind that, Alex wasn't sure of.

Miles was quiet as he escorted Alex into the castle, their hands no longer together but still lingering. Alex blindly followed Miles's lead; he did not need to be told to keep up by now.

They did not stop walking until they entered the king's library, being sure that each door they passed through was thoroughly shut and locked afterwards. Alex was nearly silent as he stood against one bookcase, rubbing his neck with a calloused hand. He waited in patient agony for Miles to say something, but the room felt more dead than the atmosphere of a funeral.

When Miles finally looked Alex straight in the eye, he took him by both hands and whispered, "She noticed."

"Noticed what?"

"These. The- the marks you left upon my neck. She noticed them. And she inquired about them," the prince sighed, tapping his fingers against the dark red-violet bruises on his skin.

"She... _oh,"_  Alex whispered. "Oh. Oh, good God. Miles, does she- does she knows they're from me?!"

"No. She guessed it to be Alexa. Which, while this may be good news for you... If my mother finds out, I'm afraid to know what Alexa's fate may be."

"A-Alexa," the brunet repeated. "Oh, God... If something happens to her, I-I'll be at fault!"

Miles pulled the boy into his arms and kissed his forehead. "You needn't worry of such things," he soothed. "I doubt Duchess Tinna will find it worthy to write about to my mother. She didn't even seem too bothered by it."

"And if she does? Or if Her Highness finds out in another way?"

"Well, then, I suppose we'll need to sort that when the time comes. Please, my darling, don't fret about conflicts that have not yet happened."

Alex essentially melted in Miles's arms and closed his eyes as he felt that beloved pair of warm hands place themselves upon his lower back. "Miles," he yawned as he nuzzled his chest, "do me a favor..."

"Of course, love. Anything you need."

"...Kiss me? I-I know I request that a bit too often, but I—"

Miles cut off Alex's stammering with a pure, innocent kiss, his hands holding the boy in place at his hips. Alex sighed and hummed against his lover's lips happily, and for the moment, he no longer focused on all of his momentary anxiety. However, halfway through the kiss, his mind jumped to something new, and it wasn't long before Miles noticed.

"You're trembling," Miles pointed out immediately after his lips broke from Alex's. "Are you all right?"

"I... I don't know," Alex confessed, rubbing his hands over his eyes. "Lately, I've been so troubled... And last night was wonderful, don't you mind, it was _wonderful..._  But nonetheless, my sleep was plagued with dreams of bad fortune." He chewed at his fingernails anxiously, refusing to make eye contact with Miles. "I know, dreams are mostly harmless... but I've also dreamt many things that soon came true. _That_  worries me the most."

Miles studied Alex's worried expression for a careful moment, but then shook his head. "Oh, love," he sighed, "I'm sure it's nothing. All right? Nothing. You needn't worry about a thing."

"But—"

"I'll keep you safe," Miles said adamantly. "Not a thing is going to hurt you."

Alex simply let himself shiver in the prince's arms, and that seemed to be the end of that.

-

Over the remainder of the days in which the castle was queen-free, all seemed to be at peace. It was almost as if a hazy sleep-spell had fallen over the royal grounds, allowing everyone in the castle to steady their heartbeats and cleanse their minds of any worries.

While in this dreamlike state, it appeared that everyone must have lost track of time, and Miles and Alex were no exception. Before they knew it, the queen arrived home at the castle, and the castle staff had only realized in just enough time to prepare the homecoming feast.

A heavy, winter-cold feeling rattled the castle as Her Majesty entered again. Everyone still remained just as silent as they had been in the days prior, but this time, it was not out of peace. It was only out of a dreadful fear that royal leaders for generations had mistook for respect. Alex, the poor anxious soul, had to once again become accustomed to eating his tiny meals in the kitchen as long as the queen wished to dine alone with Miles. The poor boy had nearly forgotten how bitter it felt to be under the queen's watch.

Miles was getting quite bored of listening to the queen go on and on about coronation preparations, so he chose to tune her out, instead letting his mind wander to things he'd much rather be doing. Of course, he could not help himself but to begin daydreaming of a memory still quite fresh in his mind: Alex's bare torso, slowly being covered in dark purple marks, and the sound of the heavens pouring out from his supple pink lips. Every inch of his skin was soft, as was his hair, which was now reaching past his ears in a shaggy fashion. His pale legs splayed themselves open for Miles to settle between, dark eyelashes fluttering, his adam's apple bobbing before letting out a cry of—

 _"Miles!"_ Her Majesty hissed, snapping her fingers in front of his face. He jerked a bit in his chair as he snapped out of the daydream, and when his scenery made sense again, he was forced to stare straight into his mother's outraged glare. "Have you heard a single thing I've said in these past ten minutes?"

"Ten minutes? I, ah, I—"

"Tell me the last thing you heard me say."

"I, ah... S-something about fruit?"

The queen put her head in her hands and audibly groaned, "One month until you become king, Miles. _One month!_ How are you ever going to be a proper leader if you can't even listen to me while I'm speaking? This is a downright tragedy, do you understand? It's _tragic._  Good God, even my servant Alexa would be a better leader than you at this point, God forbid it!"

Miles bowed his head and shut his eyes tightly, but as he spoke through clenched teeth, he made no effort to quiet his voice. "I'm not the one volunteering to be king. I never wanted this. I never asked for this life, _Mother."_

The queen's head snapped up at that and she immediately took to slamming her hands on the table. "Life is not about whimsical choices, Miles!" she exclaimed. "It is about taking responsibility for what God has given to you. If you choose to ignore those duties, then by God, may you leave this castle and inhabit one of those filthy peasant villages with the other Hell-bound sinners! Dearest Holy Mary, just ask _your_  servant what it's like to reside in those slummy places. I'm sure _he_  would be quite familiar with the kind of evils that live there."

Miles silenced himself after uttering a simple, "Yes, Your Grace," and attempted to finish his meal in peace. There never was any peace to be found as long as the queen kept her eyes on Miles, though. He was simply grateful that she hadn't yet spotted the newly made "evidence" along his collarbone. He wasn't sure what he'd do if she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ruh-roh shaggy  
> there's a drama bomb


	16. XVI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexa makes a sacrifice to save Alex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!! I'm updating on time without like... flipping shit about it! Nice! (What even is "on time" anymore though. Who knows.)
> 
> I know I always make these notes long, so I'll try to keep it short and sweet. I made an entire page on my blog dedicated to all things Pretty Visitors, as well as my already-existing tag for it. Keep an eye on both of those! I also made a playlist available on both Spotify and YouTube for this fic, full of hella awesome music. Links for those are on the PV page. ( [link to page](http://mileskane.tumblr.com/pretty-visitors) )
> 
> Additionally, I think at this point, we're about halfway done with the fic? Maybe. I don't know. Don't hold me to that.
> 
> Lastly, I wanted to thank you all so much for sticking around and being dedicated to reading this silly story!!! It means the world to me every time I get an ask on Tumblr or a comment on here about it. Thank you so much. <3

Minutes dragged on like hours for every stone-cold moment that the queen stalked about the castle. The intimacy between Alex and Miles soon slowed to a stop, and they could only share kisses in the dim light of Miles’s bedchamber before dawn. It was too risky to share a bed anymore.

Still, it was not all bad. Miles still shared his food with Alex when he could sneak it, and they could sometimes sneak out to wander the rose garden together long after Her Majesty went to sleep. In the rose garden, surrounded by delicate petals the queen would never touch due to a pollen allergy, they were safe. Even with the lack of sexual matters in their relationship now, they discovered new forms of intimacy to keep each other close.

Alex often found himself slipping Miles’s night shirt off his shoulders just enough to gently kiss the scar that remained from the fencing accident. Miles, too, would kiss and caress deep bruises and calluses on Alex’s hands obtained from increasingly demanding work. While Alex would forever be seen as an equal in Miles’s eyes, he was now nothing more than a slave to the queen.

At night, when Alex could not rest due to insomnia that Miles was not there to soothe, Alexa would slip into his chamber quietly and comb her fingers through his hair until he fell asleep. Alex never felt luckier to have Alexa as a friend, especially now that the queen had grown colder.

However, no gesture that Alexa had ever made towards Alex was quite as selfless and brave as what she did one afternoon after the first church service since the queen returned home.

Prior to that day, Miles had snuck Alex into the garden shortly after midnight for an attempt at intimacy again. Before they had to stop themselves at the sight of a candlestick moving down the hall inside, Alex had managed to suck several dark purple marks onto Miles’s neck. In the heat of the moment, they hadn’t cared.

“There,” he said once he was pleased with the appearance of the prince’s neck. “Now you’re marked as mine.”

“Aiming for a bit of morbid romanticism, are you, love?” Miles laughed. “Kiss me, you’re perfect.”

When Miles dressed himself for church, he panickedly wrapped a scarf around his neck and popped up the collar of his long robe, although he said nothing to Alex about it. He didn’t want to make Alex worry.

Church passed by smoothly without any harsh looks from the queen ,although that was most likely because she shut her eyes for prayer during the majority of the service. At one point, Miles leaned over Alex’s shoulder and whispered into his ear, _”Ich liebe dich,”_ which earned him a giggle and a small squeeze of his hand.

However, despite the easy morning, Alex held a dark feeling inside of him that something dreadful was bound to happen. While he tried to ignore it, his hunch never went away.

Shortly after noon, his hunch proved true.

After church, Miles had walked from the cathedral to his bedchamber to change into something less formal for eating his afternoon meal. Since the queen’s return, Alex and Alexa had been ordered to sit at a table separate from both royalties, so that Miles could dine almost privately with his mother. Still, they were required to respond to every order barked at them; thankfully, Alex’s services were never needed by the queen. Due to this new arrangement, both servants needed to be in the dining hall long before either Majesties entered, so Miles had to redress himself without the watchful gaze of Alex upon him.

The queen sat down with her meal a few minutes before Miles arrived, but it seemed that Alexa wasn’t going to eat much today. The queen seemed to be particularly picky about everything, meaning Alexa was constantly going back and forth between refilling Her Honor’s wine glass and trying to simply finish eating her near-molded orange. Alex took note of Alexa’s distraught expression, and wondered what he would even do with himself if Miles had been so abusive instead of the caring character he was. It made him sick to imagine.

After an hour, both Miles and the queen finished their meals, much to Alexa’s relief. (Alex was sure to save some of his food for her later on in his pocket.) All four of them exited the dining hall together, but just as Miles prepared to walk back to his bedchamber, the queen stopped him.

"What in God's name happened to you, Miles?" she questioned out of nowhere. "You look as if a feral bear attacked you."

"What mean you by that, Your Majesty?" Miles asked. "I am in well health."

"I speak not of your health but of your _collar,_ dear boy. Your neck is covered in bruises!"

Miles immediately covered his neck with his hand and forced away the blush creeping onto his face. _His scarf was back in his bedchamber._ "I... I have not been attacked by any sort of vicious animal, Your Majesty," he stammered. Beside him, he could feel Alex shift uncomfortably, although he was too afraid to turn his head and look at him.

"What was it, then? A human soul did this to you? Miles, you _know_ how shameful it is to bring filthy courtesans onto castle grounds—"

"I did no such thing," Miles quickly interrupted. The room seemed to be getting hotter and hotter with every passing moment and quite frankly, Miles wasn't sure he'd last another minute without vomiting on his shoes.

"Well? Who was it, then?" the queen questioned impatiently. "Or ought I start naming various castle members?" As she was greeted with dead silence, the queen let out a loud sigh. "All right, very well then. Was it Breana?"

"No, Your Highness."

"Arielle?"

"No."

"Rosie?"

"No."

"Katie Elizabeth?"

"No."

"For the good almighty God's sake, Miles, give me a name." Before even allowing herself to catch her breath, she appeared to have had a sporadic revelation. Slowly, she raised a finger and pointed— at Alex. _"You,"_ she whispered. "Has your heart and mind been tainted by Lucifer himself—"

"Aye, Your Great Royalty!" Alexa called, taking a single step forward. "It was I who placed the devil's kiss upon His Princedom's neck. I crept into his bedchamber late last eve and tempted him with the fingers of a succubus." Alex and Miles both stared wild-eyed at the girl, but she merely dug her nails into the heel of her palm and continued. "Brand me a temptress, My Lady. I have betrayed not only castle rules but God's holy will as well."

The queen gave a satisfied sneer and nodded at the girl. "Very well, then, Alexa." As she raised her hand in the air slightly, Alex couldn't help but gape at the brunette. Alexa simply kept her head high and tried not to let her lips quiver too much. "Guards, take her down to the dungeon cellars immediately," the queen practically spat. "This grand hall is no place for a _whore."_

As guards stepped forward to carry out the queen's will, Alex let out a panicked gasp and stared at his friend.

"I'm sorry," she mouthed to him. "You're safe."

She struggled against the strong grip of the guards, thrashing her arms about and dragging her feet along the floor. "Please be merciful!" she begged. "Please! Oh, God, please!"

The queen simply rolled her eyes and waved her hand, not offering the girl so much as a moment of eye contact. "Take whatever measures you deem necessary to shut her up," she ordered the guards. "And for any sort of spawn that may be born of this affair... kill it. We don't need any more illegitimacies on royal grounds."

Neither Alex nor Miles were sure what Her Majesty meant by the last part, but they didn't have the strength to question it. They watched helplessly as Alexa writhed around and begged for mercy, but to no avail. One of the guards delivered a harsh slap to the side of Alexa's face, which surely shut her up. The sound of her quietly weeping as they dragged her down the corridor to the bedchamber was enough to make their stomachs churn endlessly.

The queen stepped forward again and began grazing the marks on Miles's neck with delicate fingertips. "I should hope that you now see what kind of lesson is to be learned here," she said. "For certainly, we can't afford a harlot running amuck the castle. I'm sure you can understand."

Miles gulped in response before whispering, "Yes, Your Grace. It shan't happen again."

The queen seemed satisfied with this answer, but as she slowly ran her fingers up the side of Miles's neck, she dug her nails into the surface of his skin. When she reached his jawline, she lifted her hand, only to bring it back down in a harsh slap that jarred his entire body. He cried out a bit at it, but Her Majesty didn't seem the slightest bit fazed.

"Alexander, dear, I'm sorry I accused you of such vile things. I hope you may forgive me."

"Of course, Your Highness," he sputtered immediately. "I accept your apology with the highest regard."

She then smiled gently, as if her son was not currently holding back tears from the sharp tingle still radiating through his face. "You two are free to go," she said with a wave of her hand. "I'll see you both again at suppertime. Feel free to join Miles and I, Alexander. Now that I won't have Alexa around, I'll need a helping hand of my own as well. I'm sure you don't mind serving the both of us?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," Alex agreed in fear. "It would be... of the upmost honor to serve underneath you as well, even if only for a day."

The queen simply smiled before turning her back to them and walking down the same corridor that Alexa had been dragged into moments before. They didn't know what plans she had for the girl, but they didn't exactly have the heart to find out quite yet, either.

Alex knew now that Miles was crying, so he quickly grabbed his hand and rushed to get to the washroom. As they sat together in silence, Alex pressed an ice-cold rag to Miles's face to help prevent any swelling. However, Alex knew very well that Miles was not crying because he was slapped.

Neither of them knew what was to happen to Alexa, and that frightened them deeply. For Alexa was the only one Alex had truly befriended in the castle, the only one who knew their secret. Miles would be damned to hell and back before he'd ever allow Alexa to be killed - or something worse.

In the silence of the washroom, both of them trembling with fear, a quiet truth settled inside the chests of both boys: For the first time in their lives, they had seen the queen's full wrath upon an innocent person.

And they were terrified.


	17. XVII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles reveals deep-hidden castle secrets to Alex, and Alex discovers the queen is even less holy than he imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh. So. This is the part of the story where we start getting into the good stuff.
> 
> Expect lots of action, dark secrets, plot twists and rocky turns, and excessive story-telling dialogue.
> 
> This is a good ol' 3k chapter again! Nice!! About damn time I write something worth the read.

_The atmosphere is cold. Not quite as cold as the harsh winters in Sheffield, but colder than the castle's typical temperature. The ground is hard, but nothing is visible. All is dark; there is not a single candle in sight._

_Falling back against the wall, it feels wet. A few meters away, rats can be heard, snickering and sneaking around on minuscule claws._

_Suddenly, there is a flash of light; nearly blinding, compared to the deathly dark of the room. A door has been opened. A silhouetted figure emerges, and there is no mistaking who it must be: the devil herself, donned in complete gown, robe, and crown._

_"Alexander," she whispers, the name coming out like a hiss. It echoes off the cold walls again and again, soon mixing with a loud, ominous laugh. The chains bound to the floor and wall do not permit an escape from this cold, dungeoned hell._

_There is no way out._

 

Alex woke from his dream in a cold sweat, panting and heaving with tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. There was a slight burning sensation that trickled from his nostrils to his throat, and a tremble in his adam's apple that surely threatened for a sob to erupt from his lips.

He let out a loud cry into his dimly lit chamber, and hot tears proceeded to spill over his reddened cheeks. He could not understand the reason for his outburst, but he also could not dispel the feeling of dread that rattled his whole body.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes raw. "Only fools cry at dreams. It was only a _dream._ A dream..."

Glancing out the window, he saw it was still not quite dawn, but he quickly dressed anyways and lit a candle to take with him as he began to walk to Miles's bedchamber.

 _Miles._ No name had ever been sweeter or made Alex feel more at home than that of his prince. Even in the darkest of times, the couple always managed to find light in each other. In Alex's childhood, when he grew up with nothing to his name and no hope for any kind of future, the word "home" never truly held any sort of great meaning to him. He loved his mother beyond what words could explain, of course, but as he watched her health continuously decay over the past few years, "home" to him meant fear. Fear of death, and fear of losing the closest person to him.

But now, home brought happy feelings to his heart. Home meant cuddling in the rose garden, being taught how to write declarations of love, laughing in the peaceful quiet of the king's library. Home meant having someone to finally hold his hand when it trembled with great fear. It meant never really being afraid even when he was at his most frightened.

His footsteps were light as he carefully made his way across the castle to reach Miles's bedchamber. He could hear the cooks in the kitchen bustling to and fro in order to prepare the most suitable Monday morning breakfast for Miles and his mother, but aside from them, all was still.

He realized he still had sticky tear tracks on his face just as he slipped into Miles's chamber. Before he could rub them away, Miles rolled over in his bed and let out a great yawn.

"Ah... Guten Morgen," he said groggily. "Good morning, love. Is it already seven o'clock?"

"No..." Alex whispered, then blew out his candle. "It's only five o'clock, I believe..."

Miles propped himself up on his elbows so that he was half sitting up. "Another nightmare?" he asked. Alex nodded in sorrow, set his candle down on a small table, then slowly crawled into Miles's arms. He fought the urge to cry again, but still, he whimpered at oddly spaced intervals.

"Oh, darling," Miles sighed, holding Alex close. "What was it this time?"

"I- I don't know," Alex murmured. "It was cold a-and dark, and I couldn't run, a-and-!"

"Shh, oh, love... Shh, shh... You're all right, you're safe. I've got you, darling. I've got you right here in my arms." Miles pressed firm yet gentle kisses to Alex's head as he cradled him, trying to do all he could to soothe him. "I love you, Alex. I will always do anything in my power to protect you. Are you still shaken from what happened to Alexa yesterday?"

Alex nodded, another whimper moving past his lips.

"That makes two of us, then. My mother, she... I don't know why she needs to be so cruel. She's so evil, Alex..."

"Is Alexa going to be killed?" Alex asked suddenly, fear in his eyes. "Oh God, Miles, she doesn't deserve this... She shouldn't have sacrificed herself for me! _I_ should have took the blame. _I_ should be the one locked away now, not such an innocent soul as–"

"Oh, oh, hey there, love. Slow down," Miles coaxed. "I know this is... anything less than favorable. I wish I could break her out of her cell now, but... I can never ensure the safety of a prisoner once my mother puts them away..."

"And if I were in there? Would you simply leave me to _die?"_ Alex said, bewildered.

"Of course not!" countered Miles. "Please don't get carried away, love– I promise you, Alexa will be all right. I... I just need to think of something."

Alex let out a heavy breath and relaxed again. "I'm sorry I got so excited," he apologized. "I promise, I don't blame you for anything."

"I'm not worried about you blaming me," Miles said. "I just don't want you to blame yourself."

Alex said nothing to that. He only wanted to sleep.

 

At their midday meal, the queen chose to remain in her own chamber to eat. Much to their satisfaction, the boys were once again permitted to sit together as they shared food and told amusing anecdotes; anything to get their minds off of what could possibly be happening to Alexa.

After all the food was gone from their plates, Miles excitedly took Alex by the hand and began tugging him out of the dining room. "I want to show you something!" was all he said as they flew up the grand staircase and ventured towards to king's library.

Miles fiddled inside his pocket to try and find the key to unlock the doors, but out of nowhere, a familiarly shrill voice called for them.

"What are you two doing?"

Miles and Alex both turned around and faced the queen, and Alex dropped to one knee to feign respect.

"To your feet, Alexander; there isn't enough time for you to kneel. Why are you two going into the _off-limits_ wing?"

"I needed Alexander to help me tidy up," Miles quickly lied. "I made a bit of a mess earlier when I was tutoring myself in German. I assumed he could clean up for me."

Her Royalty examined Miles's face carefully before making a small "hmph" sound. "I'm sure your mess can wait," she said. "Come along, Alexander. I need you to help with some landscaping."

"L-landscaping, Your Majesty?" Alex asked, darting his eyes from Miles to the queen anxiously.

"Oh, my. I forgot: one should never use _challenging_ vocabulary around a peasant. They simply can't comprehend. What I mean is–"

"He comprehends perfectly," Miles defended, more than irritated with his mother's condescending tone. "I'm sure Alexander would be more than happy to assist you in outdoor chores."

"Very well then," the queen said, one eye twitching slightly at Miles's decision to speak out. "Come along, Alexander; the hedges by the castlefront fountain need trimming."

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Alex said, bowing his head. The queen placed a hand on his back to lead him, and Alex gave an upset look to Miles as he was whisked away. Miles mouthed a silent “I love you” to the boy, and that made Alex all the less upset.

 

Landscaping was not a particularly thrilling job, but it wasn’t as hard as Alex anticipated. All the queen required him to do was use a pair of shears to even the symmetry of the hedges and shrubs around the fountain, and when he was done with that, water the violets, petunias, and daisies. The queen was sure to point out how she simply couldn’t _bear_ to be around the flowers due to her allergic reactions, but that they were “nice enough” to look at from afar. Alex merely mumbled words of agreement before gathering his necessary tools and going so close to the flowers that Her Majesty would never, ever approach him.

An hour or so into his work, Alex looked up to see a team of workers hoisting a large contraption out of the castle and into the cobblestone-floored courtyard over yonder. Upon closer inspection, Alex soon realized that the contraption was a guillotine.

In a sudden wave of panic, Alex dropped the shears and darted over to one of the workers. His heart nearly burst out of his chest as he asked, “What is this for?!”

The man grunted and wiped his face on his sleeve, then stated, “The executin’ tomorrow, boy.”

“E- _execution?”_ Alex stuttered. “Pardon me if this is a foolish question, but- but who is to be executed?”

The man squinted as if Alex had just asked what Catholicism is. “Yer Prince Kane’s serv’nt, ain’t ye?”

“Yes, sir. I am.”

“Well then, don’t ye know the reason yer here ‘n th’ first place?”

“Um… do you mean the previous servant who conspired to kill Mi- His Majesty?”

“O’ course that’s wha’ I mean, ye mop-head!” the man grumbled. “Use yer comm’n sense. Now if ye’ll excuse me, I got some work to tend to.” With that, the man walked away, muttering something about “ignorant children” as he went.

Alex let out a breath of relief at the knowledge that Alexa was not the one to be executed. Still, he furtively ran back inside the castle and didn’t stop until he found Miles playing piano in the library.

“Alex, I thought you-”

“Why did the queen wait so long to execute James?”

“-What? What do you mean?”

“James? Your old servant? The one who conspi-”

“I know who James is!” Miles snapped. “What do you mean otherwise?”

“Y-your mother, she- why didn’t she execute him right away if he was a threat to you? Why is she only _now_ choosing to kill him?”

“Is she- how do you know?”

“A group of workers carried a guillotine to the courtyard. When I asked one what it’s for, he said that tomorrow, your old servant is being executed. I worried it was going to be Alexa at first, God forbid- but nonetheless. How could- _why_ would your mother delay an execution for so long if he had the intent to _murder_ you? Why would she-”

“Alex,” Miles interrupted. “Alex, if I tell you something, do you promise you’ll love me regardless?”

“What kind of a question is that? Of course, Miles. I’ll always love you.”

Miles took a deep breath and wiped the glistening sweat from his brow. “I never wanted you to know this,” he whispered shamefully, “but… I suppose you deserve to know.”

“Miles, you’re making me nervous.”

“...James never… he never conspired to kill me,” Miles blurted.

“What? I don’t under-”

Miles looked around carefully, then said, “Let’s get you back outside to finish your work. It isn’t safe to talk about it inside the castle.”

They quickly shuffled outside, and it wasn’t until Alex resumed his work that Miles, sitting on the edge of the fountain, began to speak. “My mother caught James and I… erm… She caught us having… having sex. On my seventeenth birthday. She… she immediately had him thrown into the dungeons, and forced me to stay inside the cathedral for three days and three nights with no food, only water, until I properly repented for my sins. She is the only one who knows; she proceeded to tell everyone else that he conspired to kill me. She said that because I’m the only one who may inherit the throne, she couldn’t harm me. But she also couldn’t afford to have a- a sinful homosexual for a son. So she covered it up, and… that’s just what it is now.”

Alex only stared at Miles, then whispered, “You… loved James?”

“Oh- oh, no, darling. I didn’t love him. I was attracted to him, I suppose, but not romantically.”

Alex looked confused at that. “I thought you had sex with someone if you loved them?”

“You do, yes,” Miles nodded. “But you can even if you don’t love someone. Only for pleasure.”

Alex held his breath, then looked down and began to play with his fingers nervously. “But you… you really do love me, d-don’t you…?”

“Of course I do!” Miles exclaimed. “I truly hope I make you feel loved outside of sex, don’t I? Oh, love. I promise you, I could never love anyone more.”

Alex sighed, but soon nodded his head. “I believe you,” he said. “I’m sorry, I got off topic… But so that’s truly why? Because you- oh, God. Oh, _God,_ Miles! If she finds out about us… I’ll be executed next, surely.”

Miles shook his head. “She will _never_ find out; I swear on my life. Besides… _you_ wouldn’t be executed next.”

“What? You aren’t making any sense, Miles.”

Miles sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, distressed. “The queen loves to play games,” he said. “Mind games.”

Alex glanced at Miles, raising an eyebrow, but motioned for him to continue.

“She loves killing people, Alex. I’m not going to lie; she _loves_ it. She’s absolutely sadistic. But she doesn’t torture only her victims, no, no, no. She has to make sure other people suffer as well. She always has to have a line-up victim before she kills off her current one. I think… no, I’m _certain_ that she’s only now executing James because she has Alexa in her clutches now as well. And if she wants to kill Alexa, she won’t until she throws someone else into the dungeons as well.”

“Who else has she killed?” Alex questioned.

“Too many people to count,” Miles said. He gulped as he collected his thoughts. “There is one I remember clearly. I was only eight years old, but I still remember it without fail. You see… Before Alexa, my mother’s personal servant was actually Alexa’s mother. Gillian was her name, I believe. Gillian had served the queen ever since my parents first married, when my mother was fifteen and my father was thirty-one. Gillian was three years older than my mother. So when my mother was eighteen, Gillian became pregnant with Alexa - this was two years before I was born. My mother hated the idea of having a baby in the castle that was not her own, but didn’t want to frighten Gillian away. She had not yet mastered the art of terror-driven manipulation, you see.

“Two years later, I was born. I grew up with Alexa, really, but I rarely got to spend time with her; by the time she was six years old, she had learned how to assist Gillian in waiting on my mother hand-and-foot. Because she was younger than Gillian by twenty-one years, she could do much more for the queen. Gillian soon became useless in my mother’s eyes. And so… when Alexa turned ten years old, the queen accused Gillian of some sort of heresy and had her thrown into the dungeons. Not even a week after her initial incarceration, Gillian was dragged out to the courtyard by her hair to be executed. Alexa sat in my mother’s lap while I stayed to my father’s side. I don’t think either of us knew what was going on until the blade come down onto Gillian’s neck.

“Alexa screamed for her mother, but the queen forced her to watch the scene unfold. My father held me close so I didn’t have to see the awful gore, and I remember him begging my mother to let Alexa go. He yelled, ‘A child doesn’t need to see her mother die!’ But my mother… she simply sneered and said, ‘To keep her in line, she does.’

“Alexa has been shattered ever since, I know that much. She never knew her father; I don’t know who he is, either. Presumably someone of Chinese descent, but I don’t believe we’ve ever had such a man in our castle staff. Either way, Alex… what I want you to understand is that my mother, she’s… beyond ill. She gets an unexplainable thrill from seeing others suffer. She wants to accuse others of being possessed by the devil, but… if Satan really exists, Alex, he surely possesses no one but the queen. There is no person more evil or quite as soulless as my mother.”

Alex stared at Miles with wide eyes, and when he could finally speak, he said, “We need to see Alexa as soon as possible. And- and try to save James, too!”

Miles motioned for Alex to come closer, and when he did, Miles pulled him into his lap. “I’m afraid there’s no way to save him now. It’s too late.”

“It’s not ‘too late’ until he’s dead,” Alex said adamantly. “And even then, we need to see Alexa regardless of anything else.”

Miles nodded in agreement and kissed Alex’s temple. “You’re so clever,” he said. “Please don’t let anyone - the queen, especially - make you believe otherwise.”

“I’d rather not let sadistic murders control how I see myself,” Alex groaned. “So don’t worry there. But… thank you. I love you, Miles. Thank you for trusting me with all of this information.”

“Of course I trust you,” Miles said. “Like I said, there’s nobody I love more.”

God knows they needed as much love as they could get to guide them in what needed to be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always always appreciated to help continue the story!! ❤️


	18. XVIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Miles sneak to the dungeon to see Alexa. Some surprises are discovered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOOO hello!! I haven't updated in like two months, I know, I'm sorry. But oh my god, this story has been running for like a year now! Fuck!
> 
> Just a quick note: James, Miles's imprisoned ex-servant, is not James Ford. It's "Jameh", ahaha. Just felt I should clarify. His old servant was most certainly Cookie.
> 
> Buutttt alrighty, I've made you wait long enough. Here we go!

That night, both boys forced themselves to stay awake in their respective chambers until the clock struck one. By then, the queen and guards would all surely be asleep, meaning Alex and Miles could sneak into the dungeons without being caught. Both of them had also salvaged food from supper to bring to Alexa, which Alex currently kept wrapped inside one of his clean burlap shirts. Neither of them knew if their poor friend was going to get any form of nutrition while in captivity.

Once they both heard the bell in the bell tower ring to mark one o'clock, they swiftly rose from their beds and walked until they met each other on a less well-known staircase behind the kitchen.

“Do you have the food?” Miles asked Alex, the light from his candle casting a bright orange glow upon his face. Alex’s response came in the form of a short nod, then he held up the shirt-wrapped bundle. The meat had grown cold and the orange slices were warm, but they decided that to Alexa, it would certainly be better than nothing at all.

“What is the plan?” Alex asked, keeping close to the far right side of the stairs.

“Most of the work is already done,” Miles replied. “I swindled the key to the dungeons off the dungeon guard before I retired to bed. He hasn't noticed. Therefore… we have all we need. We simply need to sneak down, open the door, and preferably not spend too much time down there. We can speak with Alexa, give her the food, and… possibly see James.”

“Have you ever ventured down there before?” Alex asked out of curiosity.

“No,” Miles said, pursing his lips. “I have no idea what to expect down there.”

Alex’s heart stuttered a beat in fear, but he gave a quick nod and reached out for Miles. Miles took Alex’s hand into his, raised it to his mouth, and kissed the boy’s scraped knuckles before dropping it again. The gesture was so genuinely loving that Alex nearly forgot the dangerous mission they were on.

The only guards that remained awake at this hour were those that patrolled the entrance to the castle grounds, nearly three kilometers from the actual edifice. This meant that the boys had no guards to fear on their journey; the only true fears they had involved being found by Her Majesty.

Back in Alex’s home village, if one wished to sneak about a structure, they would have to be quite cautious of stepping on and displacing old wooden boards. The typically rotting wood would create one of two sounds if pressure was put upon it: a loud snapping noise, from breaking underneath the weight of whomever stepped on it, or a pleading creak that would surely wake anyone within an earshot. However, as the floors of the castle were made not from wood but from perfectly carved cobblestone, such noises needn’t be worried about. Yet, despite the fact that they moved through the castle swiftly and silently, Alex couldn't help but feel absolute dread over the idea of being caught.

Alex's panic soon subsided as Miles’s hand found his again, and all it took was a gentle squeeze to steady Alex’s heartbeat again. By the time his head stopped spinning with a million different things he wished to tell Miles, they’d already reached the cellar door.

Miles reached into his small breast pocket and retrieved the silver skeleton-fingered key he’d stolen hours before. With a final glance of caution around them, he inserted the key into the lock and twisted until he heard a gentle click.

The door let out a low groan as it opened, and Alex gnawed on his lip relentlessly to soothe his anxious qualms. The light from Miles’s candle flame flickered over the walls of the darkened dungeon, casting shadows of their silhouettes across the entire room. They carried themselves down the stairs, and as they reached the bottom, a large rat the size of a human hand or two scurried across the floor in mockery of Alex’s anxiety.

A closer look at their surroundings brought a cold chill to shake Alex’s entire body. Something told him he had seen this dungeon before, although he certainly had not. He’d breathed this stale air before, touched the cold walls before, sneered at the stray rats before. He had experienced all the silent, aching horrors of this cellar before, and yet he’d never stepped foot in it until now.

At least, not in real life.

“The dream,” he whispered to himself. “I saw this in my dream.” He turned to Miles and tugged on his sleeve, but Miles pulled away hastily and hushed Alex, completely unknowing to the boy’s revelation.

Alex pouted, but his attention soon diverted elsewhere once he saw Alexa holding her knees to her chest on the floor. She was asleep, but seemed so very awake. Her pale body shivered and quaked in the winter-like temperature, and her reflexes still acted properly when she detected the smallest gnat flying about her face. The wavering candlelight made her shadow appear to dance.

“She looks like a ghost,” Alex thought out loud, his lips parted in wonder.

“She isn’t a ghost,” Miles sighed. “But she might as well be.”

They crouched down next to her, ignoring the uncomfortable dampness of the floor, and set the candle down. Miles carefully reached out and shook Alexa’s arm, but she opened her mouth to scream as soon as her eyes snapped open.

“Shh, Alexa!” Miles exclaimed, clasping his hand over her mouth. “Don’t scream. It’s only Alexander and I.”

Alexa panted but caught her breath, and sat up straight before the boys. “My apologies,” was the first thing she said. “I assumed you were another guard.”

“Have the guards come down here quite often?” Alex questioned nervously.

“Not often, no,” Alexa dismissed. “But when they have been down here… It was far from pleasant.”

“Have they hurt you?” came Miles’s voice this time.

“Physically, no. They’ve said some things to me, but nothing worse than what I have experiences whilst working for the queen. However… they seem to enjoy thoroughly beating _him_ to a pulp every few hours.”

“‘Him’?” Miles repeated.

Alexa lifted a gentle hand and pointed her finger into the musty darkness. Somewhere across the dungeon, the trio could hear someone shuffling. Alex picked up the candle from where it had been set down and shone the light across the cellar, and as soon as the light traveled across the darkness, a man’s emaciated figure was illuminated on the ground. He appeared to be sleeping, but the arm he draped over his face to shield out the sudden light told otherwise.

“James,” Miles whispered suddenly. Without hesitation, he walked over to the man and held his breath. Even in the yellow-orange lighting, James looked paler than parchment. Miles bent down next to him and cautiously reached out to touch his arm, but his hand was quickly smacked away.

“Prince Kane,” James hissed. Miles could see blood caked between his teeth. “What a goddamned pleasure to once again make your acquaintance.”

“James,” Miles said cautiously, “I… are you all right?”

“All right? Ha!” James scoffed. “Why, look at my yourself, oh high-and-mighty _Majesty._ I’ve never been better, wouldn't you say so? Just look- look, Kane. See how nice and plump they've made me? Good and clean, I am. Why, I never go a day feeling anxious now!” His tone was so bitterly sarcastic that Miles’s stomach churned.

“James, calm down,” Alexa said softly. “Miles is only here to help.”

“Help _you,_ mayhap,” James said. He watched in envy as Alex slowly retrieved an orange slice from his bundle and handed it to Alexa. “But me? Nay. This kind-hearted prince will leave me for dead just like he has been doing all this time. He is only down here now to save your pretty little face from becoming like mine.”

“James, I _am_ sorry,” Miles apologized. His heart sank at James’s harsh words.

“I don't need your apologies,” James grumbled. “However- who’s this? My replacement?”

Alex’s head jerked up, and he nearly dropped the candle. “M-me, sir?”

“Look at you, feigning respect. Yes, you. Your name, what is it?”

“Ah- Alexander, sir…”

“Alexander. Mmm.” James held the name in his mouth and allowed it to roll over his tongue, mixing with the dried blood between his teeth. “Well, _Alexander,”_ he spat, “be cautious. Very cautious.”

“Cautious of what?” Alex asked quietly.

“Why, your dashing prince here, of course. Don’t be shy of it, I can see what the relationship amongst you is. Is it exciting, Alexander? The sneaking around, kissing in secret behind closed doors… Does he make you feel _special?”_

“Enough!” Alexa said, raising her voice. “James, that is enough. Alexander’s relationship with Miles is much different than yours was.”

“Different how?”

“Miles _loves_ him,” Alexa said before she could stop herself.

“Oh.” James was quiet then, and Miles froze in cold regret. “Very well then. Miles loves the boy, he didn't love me, of course. Glad to hear it from the mouth of their new closest friend. Well, if anyone requires my assistance, I’ll be damning you all to hell. Goodnight.”

“James, please,” Miles begged. “I never intended to bring harm to you.”

“Irrelevant,” James mumbled. Miles began to whisper a new apology, but Alexa motioned for him to come back over to her and Alex. He sighed and returned to that side of the room slowly; James had already lay back down and turned to face away from the prince.

“Why did you two come down here?” Alexa asked as Miles sat next to Alex. She picked at the food Alex gave to her with her fingers, and slowly savored each small bite. “It’s horribly dangerous.”

“We wanted to talk to you,” Miles said. “And… to hopefully have a chance at getting you out of here.”

“Getting me _out?”_ Alexa exclaimed. “Have you gone mad? I wouldn't make it halfway up those stairs without getting caught. And besides, even if I did escape, _she_ would know. My absence would only be tied back to the both of you. I’m in here to protect you. Don’t put yourselves in danger for me.”

“James is due to be executed come morning,” Alex blurted. “I- and if he’s gone, then the queen will only need to find some other poor soul to hold captive for a short time in order to execute you as well.”

Alexa stared at Alex, then pressed her lips together tightly. “I see,” she said quietly. “Dear God, what is wrong with that woman? How could someone execute person after person and go to bed without a regret in her mind?”

“I wish I knew,” Miles said. “And despite my lack of desire to inherit the throne, I’d much rather do something to help this kingdom than live one more day with her in power.”

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while, Alex beginning to distract himself by watching the candle flame flicker slowly. Alexa soon broke the silence, however, with a rushed exhale of, “There’s something I feel I should tell you.” She took a deep breath as both boys looked at her, then added, “Something important.”

“What is it, Alexa?” Alex asked softly. He reached out to rub her arm gently.

“It is… a bit of a long story, I’m afraid.”

“We have time,” Miles assured her with a glance over at Alex.

Alexa nodded and steadied her breathing. “All right,” she said with a tremble in her voice. Then, she began to speak.

“All my life, the queen has tried to suppress me, control me, hold me on a set of string like a marionette puppet. From the moment I was born, she practically snatched me from my mother and tried to treat me as her own child. However, the king - your father, Miles - told her she couldn't simply steal someone else’s child. He forced her to allow my mother to properly look after me, and that did not settle too well. I know she was jealous of my mother. Jealous for far too many reasons to list, but I’ll get to that momentarily.

“The queen became furious at not being able to have me as her own child, so she grew very bitter and threatened my mother several times. Most of the threats were the same, typically something along the lines of killing or banishing my mother and drowning me in a wash basin. I was only an infant, you see. My mother was not scared, however. She was an insanely strong woman and always was.

“Once I had learned how to walk, speak, and obey simple orders, the queen once again took an interest in me. In my fourth year, I had begun to walk around with my mother and help her service the queen, especially with food demands. Most children that age barely know how to count to ten; I was worried about not burning myself for the umpteenth time while delivering the queen’s meals and hot teacups to her.

“Miles, you were in that in-between stage at the time. No longer an infant, but not quite a young child that could toddle around. You were quite fussy, something the queen hated to put up with. One would think that after such envy over wanting a child, she would willingly take care of you through all the messy, loud stages of childhood, and yet she tossed the responsibility on one of the servants.”

“The one I remember most? Who would tell me the moon story?”

“Indeed, she’s the one. She was great friends with my mother, too. But something my mother never understood - and I still do not - is why the queen would struggle so much to have a child, but not care for him.”

“Struggle?” Alex repeated, raising an eyebrow. “How did she struggle?”

“Well, I don’t know the whole of it, but to my understanding, she had tried for years to have a child but to no avail. Miles seemed like a miracle. And she never did have any more children after him, strange for royal families. She seemed to have an easy enough pregnancy, from what I remember. Although I don’t have many memories of it, I was only two years old… Still, she never fussed about pain or other issues that tag along with pregnancy, I don’t believe. Mayhap Miles was just an easy baby, though. But all of that is besides the point. Whatever the reason, she could simply never bond with you, Miles. She’s fantasized more about your coronation than she’s actually paid any attention to you.”

Miles sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “She’s just a heartless woman,” he said. “You can’t care about a child if the only person you care about is yourself.”

“Why was she jealous of your mother, though?” Alex questioned. “Your mother was only a peasant, correct?”

“Initially she was, yes, but she lived in the castle so long that she behaved like royalty. Never entitled or selfish, no, but with all the correct etiquette and mannerisms. All the servants held great respect for my mother and none for the queen. But beyond that, my mother could have a child without struggling for years. And she was beautiful, she truly was. Far more beautiful than the queen, even with the queen’s many cosmetics and soaps and powders. Furthermore, the queen envied my mother because my mother was exactly what the queen hates: somebody beneath royalty who didn’t give in to the restrictions of being a servant. What I mean with this is, the queen expected my mother to be depressed, run down, tired of being a servant. But this was the furthest thing from reality. My mother was always bright and optimistic, and used her faith in Catholicism to spread love, not raging fear tactics to stay in power. And in the end, the queen hated one thing most of all: she only married a king because it had been in her blood to do so. My mother caught the eye of royalty because of her looks and amiable personality, two things the queen will never have.”

“Caught the eye of royalty?” Miles repeated. “I don’t understand. What mean you by that?”

Alex stared at Alexa’s face, her expression wavering in the dimming candlelight. He looked down at the candle, then proceeded to catch a drop of melted wax on his forefinger. He winced quietly at the burning feeling, but when he looked back up at Alexa, her face looked more painful than his fingertip.

“I mean,” she said quietly, “I’ve never belonged in the role of a servant. Well- yes, I have, but… You see, my father… I know who he is. And I… My father is the king of the Chinese Empire, you see. And I’m his only child.”

Both Miles and Alex dropped their jaws so quickly that it seemed they had been gaping at her all along.

“You’re _royalty?”_ Alex whispered in shock.

“Yes,” Alexa replied, licking her dry lips. “I’ve known since I was eight years old. My father is fully aware that I exist, and has even reached out to me. He’s asked me many times over the past five years to make the journey to the Chinese Empire and live with him. The queen has never allowed me to, quite obviously. She’s even gone so far as to threaten killing me if I tried to leave this kingdom. She stopped allowing me to write my father letters and burned any that he sent me. She’s tried convincing me that my mother was a liar, but I know better than to believe her. I have the blood of royalty in me, and I- I’m absolutely ill from staying silent about it for so long.”

“Why did you never tell me before?” Miles asked.

“I suppose I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me,” she answered simply.

“And you’re not afraid any longer?” inquired Alex.

“No,” Alexa whispered, the faintest hint of a smile poking at the corners of her mouth. “Not at all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. Who else can't stop listening to EYCTE. Help.


	19. Chapter 19

Dear readers,

It's Lo. It's with a deeply sad, apologetic heart that I tell you all: I will not be finishing Pretty Visitors, and furthermore, won't be writing any more milex fanfiction in the future.

My time in the world of milex fanfiction was such a fun one, I really really loved writing for you guys while I did. I loved writing Pretty Visitors especially, but I'm sorry to say I don't really love it like I used to anymore.

You all have been the greatest! So supportive and always offering great comments. You're truly the sweetest readers I could've asked for. My reason for no longer writing this has nothing to do with you, I promise.

I know, I know, now you're thinking: how would PV have ended if I kept writing?? So I'll tell you, if you'd like to know! (If not, just scroll past this part. :P)

Miles and Alex live happily ever after, but not in the way you'd think. At his coronation, Miles has the queen (who is not really his mother!) taken away, and then gives the crown to Alexa. Alexa is able to finally reunite with her father eventually, and rules over the kingdom with the exact kindness and fair reason that Miles's "mother" lacked.

Miles and Alex still live within the castle, but travel out to the kingdom's villages to bring food and shelter to the impoverished. Miles doesn't marry Tinna, and instead has a secret ceremony overseen by Alexa in order to "marry" Alex.

The queen dies in the dungeon cold and alone.

A lot of this might not make sense, I can't exactly remember where I left off in the story, but. That's how it all goes down in my head :)

Thank you guys again so so much for sticking through a year and a half of this. I'm so so sorry I couldn't keep writing it. I really love you all.

Yours truly,  
Lo <3

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](http://mileskane.tumblr.com) / [instagram](http://instagr.am/cigarette.smoker.fiona)


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